Trump says U.S. launched ‘minor strikes’ on Iranian targets in Strait of Hormuz

By Mike Glenn - The Washington Times - Sunday, November 8, 2026

President Trump said Friday that the U.S. launched “minor strikes” on a strategic island off the southern coast of Iran in the Strait of Hormuz.

Mr. Trump told reporters in West Palm Beach, Florida, that U.S. forces targeted Iran’s Qeshm Island. It sits at the mouth of one of the world’s most important maritime routes for oil and petroleum shipments.

“They built a little bit of an anti-aircraft device,” the president of Iranian forces targeted in Friday’s airstrike. “We knocked it out in about 15 minutes, maybe five.”

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The strike followed a mission on Monday that also targeted Qeshm Island. U.S. officials said it was in self-defense after Iranian forces used surface-to-air missiles to attack U.S. aircraft and maritime shipping in the region.

Monday’s strike occurred the day before the U.S. midterm elections, in which Democrats won control of the House and the Senate.

Mr. Trump has recently downplayed earlier threats to escalate the conflict against Iran, even saying it doesn’t meet the criteria for a war.

“You look at World War I, that’s a war. World War II, that’s a war. You look at Russia, Ukraine, that’s a war. We’re not fighting,” he said. “We haven’t lost anybody in seven months. I don’t think that’s a war.”