US Strikes Iran as Trump Says ‘We Haven’t Been Fighting for Months’

The U.S. carried out defensive strikes against Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz, a U.S. official told the Associated Press (AP) on Monday, as the Trump administration maintains it's continuing efforts to reach a diplomatic agreement with Tehran. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the strikes targeted Iranians who were using surface-to-air missiles against U.S. assets. Iranian state television separately reported hearing explosions on Qeshm Island.

President Donald Trump said earlier Monday that the U.S. had not been fighting Iran for months. Read More on World “We had a war with Iran. We won,” Trump told reporters during a speech at the Reflecting Pool. “I don’t know if you even call it a war because we haven’t been doing any fighting for months.” ... Newsweek reached out U.S. Central Command for comment Monday night. The reported attack marks the latest in a series of limited strikes Washington has carried out against Iran in recent weeks, U.S. officials told The Wall Street Journal.

Vice President JD Vance said Monday that the U.S. has had “a number of good conversations” with Iran and that he and Trump felt optimistic about the prospects for a negotiated settlement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing for the U.S. to carry out another wave of strikes on Iran after Tuesday's midterm elections, two regional officials and a third person familiar with the matter told the AP. When asked by reporters if he was considering striking Iran after the midterms Monday, Trump answered “no.”

In a statement on Monday, the White House said Trump has a “wide range of options available” regarding Iran, and “he will do what is right to keep the American people safe." During an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Monday, Trump described the conflict with Iran as a “very soft war,” saying that the U.S. has not been engaged in sustained fighting for months. “A war is fighting. Take a look at World War I, World War II,” Trump told Hannity.

“When was the last time you saw us fighting with them? We go months and months, we talk. They’re not in a good negotiating position, their economy is cratering because of us." View this post on X Trump has continued to predict that the war with Iran will end “soon” and that gas prices will fall once the conflict is over. With the economy and affordability among voters' top concerns ahead of Tuesday's midterm elections, the impact of the conflict on prices remains a core issue.

The national average price of regular gasoline stood at $4.17 per gallon on Monday, according to AAA, which said in a report Thursday that crude oil prices above $100 per barrel were “limiting further declines at the pump.” Trump posted on Truth Social that Iran wants a settlement as soon as possible, saying "It could happen!" The president touted falling oil prices in a Truth Social post Monday, writing that prices were “DROPPING LIKE A ROCK, down almost $10 a Barrel, A RECORD.”

Trump added that Tehran wants a settlement as soon as possible and “it could happen!” Related Story Trump Says Oil Prices Dropping as Don Jr. Concedes Gas Prices Are ‘High’ Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here . Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Steven Frank and Edward T. Cummins