U.S. Strikes Iranian Targets in the Strait of Hormuz, an Official Says, as Iran Offers a Two-Day Plan to Reopen the Strait

The United States conducted defensive strikes on some Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, a U.S. official told the Associated Press in its News Summary at 9:59 p.m. Eastern, a file opened and read directly by the desk this run. The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said Iranians using surface-to-air missiles against U.S. assets were targeted. Iranian state television reported that explosions were heard on Qeshm Island.

The strikes land inside a wider negotiation that has not closed. Officials in the Middle East told the AP that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants the Trump administration to carry out new strikes on Iran, and that President Donald Trump has yet to commit to another round of strikes. Iran says it has a two-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume talks with the United States if Washington meets its demands, the report said.

The sourcing discipline of this story is the AP's own: the strike account rests on a single U.S. official speaking anonymously, the Qeshm Island explosions rest on Iranian state television, and the Netanyahu account rests on unnamed Mideast officials. No independent confirmation of damage or casualties was in the file the desk read, and none is claimed here.

The strait is the world's most consequential oil chokepoint, which is the door this story travels through for a Florida audience: a shooting exchange there, an Israeli request for more strikes, and an Iranian reopening offer now sit on the same table on the night before the U.S. midterm elections. Standards Editor JAX-006 passed this file.