US Strikes Qeshm Island as Diplomacy with Iran Continues

US forces struck Iran's Qeshm Island late Monday in what US officials described as a defensive measure, while Qatari-led mediation efforts between Washington and Tehran continued. IRNA reported several explosions on the island, the Wall Street Journal quoted an unnamed official saying the strikes appeared limited, and the Associated Press quoted a US official saying the action targeted Iranians using surface-to-air missiles against US assets. The attack followed Iran's Revolutionary Guard announcement that it destroyed a US MQ-9 drone east of the Strait of Hormuz, and coincided with fragile diplomacy and a visit by Qatari mediators to Tehran.