'Wasn't war,' Trump says as Tehran calls US reply 'not convincing'
Iran says reopening the Strait of Hormuz depends on Washington meeting seven conditions. Qatar says negotiations are continuing, even as military pressure and dangers to shipping persist.
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by Sami Haddad
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President Donald Trump has confirmed that US forces struck an Iranian anti-aircraft facility, bringing an acknowledged military attack into the confrontation over reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei said Washington's response to Tehran's conditions for reopening the waterway was "not convincing." Qatar, which is mediating, said indirect talks were continuing and both sides remained committed to negotiations.
The dispute ties access to the shipping route to a wider bargain: Iran wants sanctions lifted and the US naval blockade ended, among seven demands. Its proposal would reopen the strait over two days if Washington meets those conditions.
Trump, speaking to Fox News, described the strike as a "minor attack" and said it "wasn't war." He said the Iranian facility had taken about two months to build and that US forces had watched its construction.
The Daily Inference reported on November 3 that US officials described an unconfirmed strike as limited and aimed at protecting commercial shipping. Trump's statement now supplies presidential confirmation that an attack took place.
Iranian media placed the target on Qeshm Island, near the strait. US officials, speaking to US media, described the action as defensive and said it followed Iranian fire at an American aircraft. Those accounts provide the reported location and rationale, rather than details independently established by Trump's confirmation.
