US strike hits Qeshm launcher as Jask base blasts reported
The Qeshm strike
United States forces struck a missile launcher on Iran's Qeshm Island on Thursday night, after Iranian forces fired missiles from the area, according to a US Central Command official quoted on Friday.
The official said American forces had watched the site for a week and responded defensively once launches were detected. Qeshm sits in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which a large share of the world's seaborne oil passes, and the island has been a repeated flashpoint in the months-long confrontation.
What Iran says happened
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said through the Tasnim news agency that they had fired surface-to-air missiles at a fighter jet near Qeshm and forced it to withdraw. Explosions then followed on the island, and the launcher used against the aircraft was struck. Iran's IRNA agency later described further blasts heard near Qeshm as warning shots fired at ships in the strait.
Accounts of the sequence differ in emphasis: Washington's version presents a defensive response to launches, while Tehran presents its fire as action against an intruding aircraft. Neither side has published a casualty account for the Qeshm exchange.
Jask blasts remain unattributed
Separately on Thursday night, local reports and footage showed four missiles hitting the Iranian navy's base at Jask, about 200 kilometres east along the coast. No party has claimed responsibility for the Jask explosions, and they should not be attributed to the United States on current reporting.
The strikes came hours after Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine briefed President Donald Trump on military options against Iran. The Pentagon is also reported to be reinforcing regional defences, including moving another Patriot battery to Israel, ahead of possible renewed strikes after next week's US midterm elections.
