By Sumayya
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump shared that the American military on Friday ran fresh, limited attacks on Iran, hitting an Iranian air defense setup.
Iranian state news reported the noise of two blasts in the Suza zone of Qeshm Island, which sits inside the vital water path used for oil shipments.
Trump, during a talk with reporters, described the army action as minor.
“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 informed reporters shortly after landing in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday evening.
Trump did not offer extra specific points regarding the target. However, U.S. officials have reported that most of Iran’s air defense networks were destroyed or heavily damaged during a June 2025 bombing by Israel and in the early parts of the current fight. American officials have calculated that Iran would attempt to reconstruct them and other military structures over time.
The U.S. military also reported running what it described as defensive strikes on Monday. Blasts were heard on the islands of Qeshm and Hengam inside the strategic Strait of Hormuz, and in the close mainland zone of Bandar Abbas.
Friday’s attacks stand as the very first since Trump’s Republican Party faced a shocking defeat in Tuesday’s midterm voting in the U.S.
The election loss—Republicans lost control of both rooms of Congress—was fueled in part by voter anger over how Trump has handled the conflict and the rising fuel prices, a side effect of the war that has hurt almost every part of the global economy.
In the days following the Republicans’ heavy loss at the polls, Trump has shifted between threatening to destroy Iran and hinting that a finish to the war is close.
Qatar Presents New Proposals to Iranian Officials
Earlier Friday, two Middle Eastern state officials said Iran was looking over plans brought forward by chief middleman Qatar aimed at dealing with disagreements with the United States regarding Tehran’s nuclear project.
However, one of those officials stressed that the Iranians, at least right now, stay unwilling to join in talks with the Trump administration over their atomic work until the U.S. agrees to a few main conditions that Iran has been demanding be part of any ceasefire deal.
Disagreements with Iran over its nuclear project stay the hardest issue, and it is one that Trump says must be fixed as part of any agreement meant to finish the more than 8-month-old war.
Both officials were not allowed to make public statements on the delicate talks and spoke without sharing their names.
Meanwhile, U.S. Central Command, which leads American military actions in the Middle East, declared in a post on X late Friday that the United States was offering a reward of up to 20 million dollars and possible relocation for details regarding Iran’s nuclear project, including its buildings, gear, and linked workers, such as individuals in the scientific community, or the movement of any of these items.
The post included a link pointing to the U.S. State Department’s Rewards for Justice project.
Iran Insists on Several Concessions Before Nuclear Talks
The White House refused to comment regarding the Qatari-presented proposals on Iran’s nuclear project, but Trump noted earlier Friday during a talk with reporters that middlemen’s discussions with Iran are going on.
“We are talking to Iran. We have been,” expressed Trump, who says the U.S. military stays in control of the conflict with a damaged Iran.
Still, Tehran insists on a few concessions from the U.S., which Trump has refused in the past. Among the main demands Iran says must be met before starting nuclear talks: stopping the U.S. blockade on Iran’s shipping ports, lifting financial penalties, releasing its frozen cash assets, paying compensation for war destruction, and finishing fighting across the whole region, including Israeli actions in Lebanon.
Qataris and Iranians Discuss a Bridge Deal to Get to Nuclear Talks
Middlemen and Iran have talked about a possible temporary bridge deal aimed at assisting to clear the path for more discussions on Tehran’s nuclear project, according to local regional officials.
They stated the proposal, which was recently brought to both sides by Qatari middlemen, called for running trust-building steps over the length of two days.
These steps include lifting the U.S. shipping blockade and freeing up some of the billions of dollars in Iranian frozen money taken over the years as part of an American plan to isolate Iran over its nuclear work. In exchange, Tehran would permit International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors to visit its locations that were bombed by the U.S. and Israel, the officials explained.
On the second day, Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz water path in line with a modified deal that Iran and Oman have hit regarding the waterway, though it has not been approved by the United States, the officials stated. That system would be short-term until a permanent agreement is reached on the strait in partnership with other Gulf nations, they explained.
Following the completion of these steps, the U.S. and Iran would start deep talks addressing Iran’s stock of highly enriched uranium as well as other parts of its project, the officials said.
Iran has long stated that its nuclear project is entirely peaceful. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran holds 440.9 kilograms, which equals 972 pounds, of uranium that is enriched up to 60 percent purity, which is a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 percent.
Diplomatic Efforts Pick Up Following U.S. Election
A rush of diplomatic phone calls in recent days between leaders in the Persian Gulf area and beyond has been aimed at lowering tensions in the region. Worries have grown over the chance that Trump could still command the U.S. military to run fresh strikes against Iran.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke Friday with his Qatari partner, Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, about the events, according to the Qatari government.
The Qatari government declared the phone call between the nations’ defense leaders after verifying earlier Friday that Trump and Qatar’s emir held a separate call to talk about efforts to lower tensions.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also held phone calls with his Iraqi and Tunisian partners on Friday to talk about the stress in the region. Araghchi and Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein talked about Tehran’s vision for starting up negotiations again with the U.S., according to Iraq’s News Agency.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, who held two calls with Araghchi this week, stated Friday in a post on X that it was highly important that both sides display flexibility to reach the middle-ground fixes required to stop the region from sliding into a brand-new wave of growing conflict.
Egypt’s top diplomat also held a phone call with his Emirati partner, Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to focus on the value of political talks to stop another military clash that could fuel more violence and destruction, according to a statement by Egypt’s Foreign Ministry.
