The United States carried out defensive strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, two U.S. officials told ABC News. The airstrikes do not signal the resumption of major combat operations against Iran, but were the latest limited strike carried out by U.S. forces in recent weeks, an official said. In recent weeks, Iran has increased the number of attacks directed at commercial ships transiting through the Strait of Hormuz.
Unlike previous strikes in response to such attacks, the U.S. airstrikes in recent weeks had not been publicized to prevent any signaling that the strikes were part of the resumption of major combat operations against Iran, according to the official. Large cargo and tanker ships at Shahid Rajai port from Qeshm island pier, Persian Gulf, Iran Germã¡n Vogel/Getty Images Related Iran live updates: Tehran warns of 'powerful response' to any renewed attack First reported by the Wall Street Journal, the airstrikes were limited in scope and characterized as defensive strikes, the two U.S. officials said.
The term defensive strikes has been used to describe the retaliatory strikes carried out by the U.S. in response to Iranian attacks on shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz. Popular Reads Learjet with 9 aboard crashes in Palm Beach County, Florida: FAA 1 day ago Sen. Chris Murphy hospitalized after suffering a stroke, chief of staff says 1 day ago 2 college students found dead after going missing while hiking, police say Oct 29 Monday's U.S. airstrikes on Qeshm Island were in response to an Iranian attack on a U.S. aircraft, said one official.
Earlier in the day, Iran had claimed that it had shot down two RQ-170 reconnaissance drones, a claim that was said to be false by a U.S. official. Iranian state media later reported several explosions being heard on Qeshm Island. U.S. Central Command did not respond to ABC News' requests for comment about Monday's defensive strikes.
ABC News lets a US official's denial of Iran's drone claim stand unchallenged, although another US official told The New York Times that Iran's Revolutionary Guards did shoot down an American drone. ABC also calls the strikes 'defensive' in its own closing line and states without a source that Iranian attacks on shipping increased. US officials supply every account of the strikes, while Iran appears only through a line about explosions.
Gives a contested claim the last word
Serious
“a claim that was said to be false by a U.S. official”
Why this matters
ABC sets Iran's claim to have shot down US drones against a single unnamed US official's denial and leaves the denial as the final word.
The impression it gives
That Iran's claim of shooting down US drones was false.
The context
A second US official, quoted by The New York Times on the same strike, said Iran's Revolutionary Guards shot down an American drone before the strike. The denial is contested even among US officials.
Iran said it shot down two RQ-170 reconnaissance drones. One US official called the claim false, while another US official told The New York Times that Iran's Revolutionary Guards had shot down an American drone.
States one side's claim as fact
Minor
“defensive airstrikes”
Why this matters
The headline calls the US airstrikes on Iranian territory "defensive airstrikes" as a plain description, with only a trailing "Officials" tag.
The impression it gives
That the strikes were defensive as a matter of fact, not as a characterisation chosen by the US government.
The context
"Defensive" is the US officials' own label. The body itself says the strikes were "characterized as defensive strikes" by officials, and other outlets frame it as the officials' description.
How we know
Elsewhere in the article“characterized as defensive strikes, the two U.S. officials said”
In its own closing words ABC calls the attack "Monday's defensive strikes", dropping even the attribution it gave earlier.
The impression it gives
That ABC has accepted the strikes as defensive and that this is settled.
The context
ABC's own S6 concedes "defensive strikes" is a term used for what it calls "retaliatory strikes". The label is the US government's, and no Iranian account of the strikes appears in the article.
How we know
Elsewhere in the article“The term defensive strikes has been used to describe the retaliatory strikes”
“Iranian state media later reported several explosions being heard on Qeshm Island.”
Why this matters
The only Iranian presence in the report of strikes on Iranian territory is a line about explosions being heard, while unnamed US officials supply every characterisation of the attack.
The impression it gives
That the US account is the whole story of what happened on Qeshm Island.
The context
The article carries no Iranian official response and nothing on what was hit or whether anyone was harmed. US officials fill the article.