Trump: Iran air defence knocked out in 15 minutes, perhaps five
Trump said US forces knocked out an Iranian air-defence system, while Iranian state media reported explosions on Qeshm Island. Qatar says proposals are still moving between the two sides as the conflict disrupts a vital shipping route.
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Nov 7, 06:00 UTC ·
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Follows Report: US strikes Iran's Qeshm Island as Trump talks up a deal, 'Wasn't war,' Trump says as Tehran calls US reply 'not convincing'.
President Donald Trump said US forces struck an Iranian air-defence system on Friday, November 6, renewing military pressure while Washington and Tehran continue talks over a conflict disrupting the Strait of Hormuz. [1][2]
Trump described the action as minor and said the system had been knocked out in about 15 minutes, perhaps five. Separately, Iranian state media reported two missiles or explosions around Qeshm Island, near the strategic waterway. [1][2][3]
The fresh strike puts force and diplomacy alongside each other again. Qatar, which is helping exchange proposals between the two sides, said on Saturday that negotiations were continuing and rejected suggestions that they had failed. The conflict has already produced separate US and Iranian blockades affecting the strait, a crucial route for oil and gas exports. [2][4]
Trump said the United States was talking to representatives from Tehran and that the two sides had made "a lot of progress". He gave no terms or details of those contacts. [2]
Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson, Majed al-Ansari, said reports that negotiations had collapsed were false and served those seeking to prolong the war. Qatar was continuing to facilitate exchanges of proposals, he said. [2]
Two accounts around Qeshm
Iran's official news agency, IRNA, reported that two missiles struck Qeshm. Iranian state media also said two explosions were heard in the island's Suza area. Semi-official Iranian outlets reported no casualties. [1][3]
Iran's state broadcaster, IRIB, carried a separate army statement saying Iranian air-defence forces had intercepted and destroyed a US MQ-9 drone, an unmanned surveillance and strike aircraft, over Qeshm. [2] That account describes an Iranian military action, distinct from Trump's description of a US strike on an air-defence system.
Neither the reported missile impacts nor the drone interception has been independently confirmed. The exact US target, any connection between the reported events, and the resulting damage or casualties have not been established. [1][2][3]
After the explosion reports, US Central Command described the situation as "relatively calm". A command official told Al Jazeera that it was aware of the reports and had no further comment. [2] The command gave no operational explanation.
The fresh strike was reported separately from the November 3 episode covered by this newspaper, and the two have not been confirmed as one operation. [1][2] The Daily Inference reported on November 3 that US officials described a reported action as limited and aimed at protecting commercial shipping.
The Daily Inference reported the following day that Iran said reopening the Strait of Hormuz depended on Washington meeting seven conditions, while Qatar said negotiations were continuing.
A deal starts with shipping
The war began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February. The resulting confrontation has drawn access to the Strait of Hormuz into both military operations and negotiations, with Qatar describing separate blockades imposed by Washington and Tehran. [4]
Qeshm's location near the strait gives events there significance beyond the air-defence system Trump said was "knocked out". A strike he describes as brief is taking place beside a waterway whose use remains part of the dispute.
Qatar has been working toward an interim agreement designed to build trust and help the two sides demonstrate that they would meet their commitments. [4] That approach would give Washington and Tehran a way to test cooperation before attempting to settle the wider conflict.
Al-Ansari said freedom of navigation was "non-negotiable" and warned that attacks on shipping and military escalation threatened both the region and the negotiations. [4] His Saturday statement that proposals were still being exchanged indicates that the diplomatic channel remains active despite the latest strike. [2]
The immediate task for the mediators is therefore practical: secure commitments the two sides will carry out while military pressure continues. Claims of progress offer little reassurance to shipping unless they lead to agreed conditions for passage.
Pressure after the vote
Friday's strikes were the first since Trump's Republican Party lost ground in the November 3 midterm elections, according to Al Jazeera. Trump blamed the election results on the Iran war. [2]
His decision to describe the latest action as minor sits alongside that domestic political setback. But the size and duration of an individual strike do not measure its effect on negotiations over a contested shipping route.
Trump said the United States was talking to Tehran, while Qatar says proposals are being exchanged. Neither side has announced a deal. [2][4] Qatar's proposed interim agreement offers the next concrete step: commitments that each side can demonstrate it has kept.
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- Trump confirms fresh Iran strikes days after voters punish war at polls | South China Morning Post South China Morning Post
- Trump confirms new US strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island | US-Israel war on Iran News | Al Jazeera aljazeera.com
- Iran war live: Qatar says US, Iran should not wait to reach a peace deal | US-Israel war on Iran News | Al Jazeera aljazeera.com
- Qatar sees 'hope' for US-Iran deal despite fresh US strikes as mediators exchange proposals in real time | Euronews euronews.com