US strikes Iran's Qeshm island: Reports

The United States on Monday attacked Iran's Qeshm Island, the Wall Street Journal reported, even as President Donald Trump signaled progress in negotiations with Tehran to end the eight-month-old conflict.

The Journal, citing unnamed US officials, described the strike against Qeshm, the the largest island in the Strait of Hormuz, as the latest of a series of "limited strikes" Washington has secretly carried out against Iran in recent weeks.

Iranian state news agency IRNA reported five explosions in rapid succession were heard on the island, and that some residents reported seeing two aircraft flying in its skies.

The Pentagon referred questions about the reported strikes to US Central Command, which did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment late Monday.

The Journal reported that US has been engaged in smaller-scale strikes against Iran for several weeks.

CNN, citing three US officials, also reported the Qeshm strikes, and characterised the action as "defensive" in nature and meant to protect US assets in the region.

One official said the US attack came in response to Iran firing at a US aircraft. CNN It does not appear to be the kind of major combat operation that officials have been contemplating.

The Journal reported that other such strikes have been carried out previously in secret.

“This was a defensive measure for Iranians using surface to air missiles against US assets,” another US official told CNN, citing that the strikes were meant to protect US assets.

But the new action, on the eve of Election Day, is a reminder that the situation in Iran is still unresolved, and combat is still very much on the table.

One person familiar with the matter said the administration deliberately kept the attack under wraps in an effort not to overstate the defensive move.

The person added that the strikes were meant to protect US assets and prevent Iran from having the freedom to attack commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

The paper said the US has not publicly announced the attacks, so as not to signal any intention of resuming major combat operations.

On Monday, on the eve of midterm elections in the United States, Trump said that a deal with Tehran "could happen."

Oil prices, sent rocketing by Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz energy corridor, plunged by more than seven percent on Monday on optimism over a possible end to the conflict.