Trump confirms US military carried out 'minor strikes' on Iran's Qeshm Island

U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters on Saturday that the U.S. military had carried out “minor strikes” on Iran’s Qeshm Island, following reports of explosions and aircraft activity in the area.

"We do minor strikes. They built a little bit of an anti-aircraft device, and we knocked it out in about 15 minutes," Trump said.

The president’s remarks came after Iran's Tasnim news agency reported that two missiles had struck Qeshm, which lies adjacent to the strategically significant Strait of Hormuz. No damage was reported.

Just hours after reports of explosions, Tehran’s state media claimed that its armed forces had downed a U.S. MQ-9 drone over the island, citing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

IRGC Spokesman Hussein Moghadi confirmed that its forces had carried out “defensive operations” and struck a U.S. aircraft.

"Our war is not symmetrical, and we can strike the enemy at a point where he does not expect it," Moghadi warned. He said Tehran was ready to use “new capabilities” to strike what he described as enemy positions across the Middle East.

Earlier this week, American forces carried out limited strikes on Qeshm Island ahead of the U.S. midterm election.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a member of Tehran’s negotiating team, warned that Tehran was prepared to respond to military strikes on its territory with extensive counterattacks

“The Islamic Republic of Iran’s military and strategic response to any miscalculation by the enemy will be unpredictable, disregarding geographical constraints,” Ghalibaf said.