Just hours after President Donald Trump signaled diplomatic progress with Tehran, the U.S. launched Tuesday what it called "defensive" strikes on an Iranian island in the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. media reported.
The strikes, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, hit Qeshm Island, where Iranian state media reported five explosions in rapid succession.
U.S. officials, cited by the Journal and other outlets, described the attacks as defensive. The Journal said the strikes were the latest of several undeclared and had not been publicly announced to avoid the impression Washington intended to resume major combat operations. U.S. Central Command did not immediately respond to an Agence France-Presse (AFP) request for comment.
The U.S. and Israel launched the war with surprise strikes on Iran in late February, but have not achieved their war aims and the conflict has stalled for months.
On Monday, a day before voters were expected to hand his Republican party a drubbing in midterm elections in part over dissatisfaction with the war and the inflation it has brought, President Donald Trump said a deal with Iran "could happen."
"Iran wants a settlement, as soon as possible," Trump posted on his Truth Social.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said indirect talks were underway.
"Given the sensitivity and gravity of the current situation, consultations and deliberations are intensive," Araghchi told state media.
On Tuesday, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Tehran's chief negotiator in talks with the U.S., said while Iran was ready for war it had given Washington a "rational response."
"The ball is now in America's court to prevent war."
Oil prices plunged more than 7% Monday on optimism over a possible end to the eight-month conflict.
Reopen the strait
U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance said both he and Trump were optimistic about securing an agreement.
"We've certainly made some progress. We'll see if we can make some more," Vance told reporters Monday.
China also called for a return to diplomacy, while Iran's security chief discussed the conflict with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Last week, Axios reported that Vance had sent a letter to Iranian national security chief Mohsen Rezaei about possible new talks, marking the highest-level move in months.
Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said messages from Washington were "an acknowledgement of our victory."
A senior Iranian official said Tehran was ready to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil and gas supplies, within two days but only if Washington agreed to its long-standing list of demands.
In September, Iran proposed a seven-day plan to reopen the strait, with demands including ending the war on all fronts, unfreezing Iranian assets, lifting oil sanctions and ending its counter-blockade of Iranian ports.
"The possibility of implementing this plan in two days is another indication of Iran's good-faith approach," Tehran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told reporters at a briefing.
'No compromises'
China held meetings with Iranian and Saudi officials in Beijing Monday.
Beijing supports Tehran in "safeguarding its own sovereignty and security," Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Ali Bagheri, deputy secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, according to a Chinese statement.
In an interview with Al Jazeera released Sunday, Foreign Minister Araghchi said Washington must accept a new route agreed by Iran and Oman for transiting the strait.
He said Washington must also remove recently imposed sanctions and reduce U.S. troop numbers in the region.
Trump has kept up his threats against Tehran, saying Sunday the United States may have to give Iran "the hammer" at some unspecified time.
On Saturday, the U.S. leader said he still had to "take care" of one or two targets including so-called Pickaxe Mountain in central Iran, a suspected nuclear site which Tehran denies is such a facility.
Iranian officials have repeatedly warned of wide-ranging retaliation if the U.S. resumes the war.
Authorities in Tehran installed a large banner in the heart of the capital, AFP journalists said Tuesday.
Over a photo of the U.S. president, it reads: "We will kill Trump."