Trump confirms "minor strikes" on Iranian air defence on Qeshm island, Iran claims MQ-9 downed

US President Donald Trump confirmed on the evening of November 6 in West Palm Beach that the US carried out "minor strikes" on an Iranian air defence system on Qeshm island in the Strait of Hormuz, Al Jazeera and AP report. They are the first US strikes since the November 3 elections.

"We do minor strikes… they built a little bit of an anti-aircraft device, and we knocked it out in about 15 minutes, maybe five," Trump said. Iranian agencies Tasnim and IRNA reported two projectiles hitting the Suza area of Qeshm, with no damage reported.

Iran's claim

Iranian state broadcaster IRIB, citing the army, claims a US MQ-9 drone was destroyed over Qeshm; the US has not confirmed it. A day earlier the Revolutionary Guards claimed to have downed an MQ-1.

Talks and a reward

"We've made a lot of progress with Iran. They want to make a deal," Trump said. Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari dismissed reports that talks had failed, and Axios reports neither side has formally accepted Qatar's two-stage framework. CENTCOM is offering up to $20 million and possible relocation for information on Iran's nuclear programme.