The US military has carried out what an American official described as "defensive" strikes against Iran's Qeshm Island, local media reported, in the latest escalation of a confrontation that has shadowed the midterm election campaign.
"This was a defensive measure for Iranians using surface-to-air missiles against US assets," the official was quoted as saying. The attack, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, comes as President Donald Trump has sought to downplay the prospect of a renewed large-scale military confrontation with Iran.
American officials said US forces have continued conducting smaller-scale strikes against Iranian targets for several weeks, including in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which a fifth of the world's oil passes.
Iran's chief negotiator said it is up to the United States to prevent renewed war, describing the latest strikes as a dangerous provocation. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said its air defences had responded to the attack.
The exchange has rattled energy markets and drawn calls for restraint from European and regional governments, who fear a wider conflict disrupting shipping through the Gulf.
