U.S. Military Strikes Iran’s Qeshm Island In What U.S. Officials Call A Defensive Measure
The U.S. military struck Iran’s Qeshm Island on Monday in what American officials described as a small-scale defensive measure against Iranians accused of planning missile strikes against U.S. assets. The U.S. strikes were limited, the officials said, adding that there are no immediate plans to escalate. Yet the military action comes on the eve of the midterm elections. President Trump, meanwhile, has been considering renewed strikes against Iran after the elections.
But the president, who has changed his mind several times on how to conduct the war, said earlier Monday on social media that an agreement with Iran “could happen.” His multiple about-faces on Iran have left many in his own administration and government uncertain as what his next steps will be. In an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News, Mr. Trump said on Monday night that “this isn’t a war” with Iran. “But this isn’t like a war that’s going on,” he said.
“There’s no war raging. It could happen if they don’t make a deal, but they want to make a deal very badly, and there’s a very good chance we make a deal.” Vice President JD Vance said on Monday that the U.S. and Iran have made some “progress” and that both he and Mr. Trump felt “pretty good” about the possibilities for an agreement. Monday’s strike on Qeshm Island, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, was similar to other small-scale strikes that the United States has conducted against Iran over the past few weeks, one U.S. official said.
He said the strikes are meant to stop Iran from attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Previous strikes, another official said, have hit empty cruise missile launchers. The second official said that Monday’s strike came after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps shot down an American drone, and shot at, but missed, two American fighter jets flying over the Strait of Hormuz. Even if only limited and defensive, these U.S. attacks over the past few weeks, which neither Iran nor the United States publicly acknowledged, marked the first American bombing of targets inside Iran since two days of strikes at the beginning of September.
Left out here: One side gets the space
The article gives only U.S. officials' account of Monday's events. It omits that the IRGC said it downed two U.S. drones south of Qeshm Island, and that Iranian state media reported five explosions on the island. The reader hears nothing from Iran about the strike.
How we know
- Anadolu Agency (English) reported“Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Monday that it downed two US drones south of Qeshm Island”US carries out 'defensive' strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island: Report (opens in a new tab)
- NBC News reported“Iranian state media reported that five explosions were heard on Qeshm Island on Monday.”U.S. military carries out limited strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island, U.S. officials say (opens in a new tab)
Left out here: Leaves out what changes the picture
The article presents the strike as a defence of U.S. aircraft over the Strait of Hormuz. It never says that thousands of U.S. troops are off Iran's coast enforcing a naval blockade of Iranian oil, which is why American aircraft are there.
How we know
- NBC News reported“thousands of U.S. troops remain in the waters off Iran to maintain a naval blockade aimed at preventing tankers carrying Iranian oil from getting to the global market”U.S. military carries out limited strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island, U.S. officials say (opens in a new tab)
The United States also destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers in early September in retaliation for Iran launching missiles at — and missing — two American warships in the Arabian Sea. Erica L. Green contributed.
Read the original article on nytimes.com (opens in a new tab)