U.S. Strikes Iranian Targets on Qeshm Island in Strait of Hormuz
CBS News reports U.S. defensive strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island after Revolutionary Guards fired at a U.S. jet and launched a missile threatening shipping.
The story in focus
CBS News reports the U.S. military launched limited defensive strikes on Iranian targets on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, after U.S. officials said Iran's Revolutionary Guards fired at an American fighter jet and later fired a missile threatening shipping. Iran's deputy foreign minister said Tehran retains a right to self-defense.
- U.S. officials told CBS News the strikes targeted Iran's Qeshm Island and were limited and defensive.
- Officials said the Guards fired at a U.S. fighter jet, which returned fire, and Iran later fired a missile from Qeshm that threatened shipping.
- The Wall Street Journal first reported the strikes, which came the eve of U.S. Election Day.
- Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Tehran retained a right to legitimate self-defense.
- Qeshm Island sits in the northern Strait of Hormuz and is central to Iranian monitoring of commercial traffic.
What U.S. officials described
Multiple U.S. officials told CBS News that the U.S. military carried out limited, defensive strikes on Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. A senior U.S. official said the targets were on Iran's Qeshm Island.
According to two U.S. military officials, the strikes followed two incidents the same day: Iran's Revolutionary Guards fired at an American fighter jet, prompting it to return fire, and later Iran fired a missile from Qeshm Island that threatened shipping. The Wall Street Journal first reported the strikes.
Iran's response and context
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Tuesday that Tehran retained a right to legitimate self-defense after the new U.S. strikes, and would exercise it until what he called the military aggression had been fully and permanently ended.
Qeshm Island, in the northern Strait of Hormuz, is important to Iranian efforts to monitor and control commercial traffic through the waterway. The strikes came as the war entered its ninth month and on the eve of U.S. Election Day.
Costs and politics
President Trump has alternated between suggesting a deal could end the war and warning of renewed major attacks. As of mid-October, the Iran war had cost U.S. taxpayers at least $47.1 billion in military expenditure alone, according to a Central Command estimate obtained by CBS News.
What did U.S. officials say preceded the strikes on Qeshm Island?
Officials said Iran's Revolutionary Guards fired at an American fighter jet, which returned fire, and later fired a missile from Qeshm Island that threatened shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Sources & further reading
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