Iranupdated 26m ago2 min read
Archive photo · 2 June 2025Trump Confirms U.S. Strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island, Says “It’s Not a War”
“his window for restarting major combat operations in Iran is closing”
“Trump confirmed on Friday the U.S. carried out ‘minor strikes’ on Iran”
Photo: Daniel Torok / US federal government, Public domain · Cropped for layout
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Trump confirmed US limited strikes targeting an air-defense system on Qeshm Island. Trump framed the actions as 'minor' and not a war amid diplomatic mediation.
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Minor strikes, Qeshm Island
President Donald Trump confirmed that the United States carried out “minor strikes” on Iran’s Qeshm Island, describing the action as “not a war.” AP reported that Trump said the U.S. military on Friday targeted an Iranian air defense system in the Suza area of Qeshm Island and that “They knocked out -- they built a little bit of an anti-aircraft device and we knocked it out in about 15 minutes, maybe five.”
“Trump told reporters the conflict is ‘not a war’.”
Iran’s state media reported two explosions in the Suza area of Qeshm Island, while Trump did not offer further details about the target. The U.S. military also reported defensive strikes on Monday, with explosions heard on the islands of Qeshm and Hengam and in the nearby mainland area of Bandar Abbas, according to AP.
Task Force Iron Gate
Central Command announced the creation of Task Force Iron Gate to extend the success of the naval blockade to overland routes of trade, and Iran’s military dismissed the plan as “word play.” CBS News reported that a Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesman told Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency that “The Iron Gate plan is merely a wordplay, the Americans cannot achieve their objectives of imposing severe economic pressure to cause economic collapse in Iran through this approach,” Mohebbi said.
DW reported that the United States struck a commercial ship attempting to breach its naval blockade on Iran, and CENTCOM said the cargo vessel “tried to depart regional waters after visiting an Iranian port.” Al Jazeera reported that Iranian television denied American strikes while the Revolutionary Guard announced two oil tankers were set ablaze by naval mines for violating navigation routes, and CENTCOM said one of its aircraft fired on the stern of a vessel that attempted to breach the blockade.
Mediation, nuclear demands
AP reported that earlier Friday, two Middle East government officials said Iran was reviewing proposals presented by chief mediator Qatar aimed at addressing differences with the United States about Tehran’s nuclear program. AP also reported that one official stressed that Iran, at least at the moment, remained unwilling to engage in negotiations with the Trump administration over atomic activities until the U.S. agreed to several core conditions for a ceasefire agreement.
Euronews said Trump insisted “we are not fighting” while Qatar and the U.S. insisted negotiations were continuing, and Qatar’s national news agency quoted Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani discussing “the ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at de-escalating tensions in the region.” CNN reported that Iranian hardliners demanded Washington not be offered compromises in ongoing negotiations, and Hamidreza Azizi told CNN that Tehran’s position regarding the requirements for a deal with Washington was likely to harden further.