President Donald Trump has said the United States carried out new limited strikes on Iran on Friday, targeting an Iranian air defence system.

Trump described the action as "minor" in an exchange with reporters on Friday evening in Florida. "They knocked out — they built a little bit of an anti-aircraft device and we knocked it out in about 15 minutes, maybe five," he said. He did not give further details about the target.

Iranian state media reported the sound of two explosions in the Suza area of Qeshm Island, which lies in the Strait of Hormuz. State television said there were no casualties. Iran's state broadcaster also reported that Iranian air defences had destroyed a US drone over the island, a claim Washington has not confirmed. US Central Command said the situation there was relatively calm.

First strikes since the midterms

Friday's strikes were the first since Trump's Republican Party lost both chambers of Congress in Tuesday's midterm elections, a defeat driven in part by voter dissatisfaction with his handling of the war and elevated fuel prices.

The US military had previously reported carrying out what it described as defensive strikes on Monday, when explosions were heard on Qeshm and Hengam islands and near Bandar Abbas. US officials have said most of Iran's air defences were destroyed or badly degraded in a June 2025 bombardment by Israel and in the early stages of the current conflict.

The strikes came as diplomacy continued. Trump said on Friday that his administration was talking to Tehran, and two Middle East government officials said Iran was reviewing proposals presented by chief mediator Qatar on its nuclear programme. Tehran insists it will not negotiate until Washington meets core conditions, including ending its blockade, lifting sanctions and paying compensation for war damage.