{"id":14391,"date":"2026-11-07T12:45:14","date_gmt":"2026-11-07T12:45:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=14391"},"modified":"2026-11-07T12:45:14","modified_gmt":"2026-11-07T12:45:14","slug":"qeshm-island-and-hormuz-hit-as-mediators-try-to-prevent-us-iran-escalation-us-israel-war-on-iran-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=14391","title":{"rendered":"Qeshm island and Hormuz hit, as mediators try to prevent US-Iran escalation | US-Israel war on Iran News"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Tehran, Iran<\/strong> \u2013 The United States has bombed Iran after vessels were targeted in the Strait of Hormuz, as mediators continue to try to prevent large-scale fighting between the two countries.<\/p>\n

Two projectiles hit Iran\u2019s Qeshm on Friday night, the latest in a series of air strikes on the southern island over recent weeks targeting Iranian air defences and launchers. President Donald Trump called them \u201cminor strikes\u201d<\/a>, amid increasing concerns of a potential escalation in the war between the countries.<\/p>\n

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Iran\u2019s army said in the early hours of Saturday that it destroyed a US-made MQ-9 drone using an unnamed new system. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) separately claimed on Friday that its air defences intercepted an MQ-1, reportedly\u00a0the 16th aircraft of this model to be destroyed since the start of the war.<\/p>\n

At least 11 ships were attacked in and around the Strait of Hormuz over the week ending on November 6, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which said three of them sank. The Western military intelligence agency has recorded 88 projectile strikes since hostilities resumed in early July, although it has cautioned that most attacks are going unreported<\/a>.<\/p>\n

UKMTO\u2019s weekly report also identified 170 outbound and 155 inbound transits in the Strait of Hormuz, approximately 65 percent below pre-conflict levels. Most of the vessels that travel with their transponders switched on are using the Iranian route to the north. But many ships are still attempting the southern route near Oman with their tracking systems offline to shuttle oil out of the waterway<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Iranian armed forces also claim that, in addition to being hit with missiles and drones, tankers and commercial vessels using \u201cunauthorised\u201d routes also run the risk of being hit by naval mines.<\/p>\n

The Iranian military\u2019s naval force said on Saturday that a tanker with its transponder turned off caught fire in the eastern area of the Strait of Hormuz after hitting a mine. Washington says the mines have been cleared.<\/p>\n

No range limit on missiles<\/h2>\n

For years, the IRGC maintained that it was limiting the range of its ballistic missiles to about 2,000 kilometres (1,240 miles) to reassure European countries that they would not be targeted.<\/p>\n

But with Trump threatening to resume extensive air strikes on Iran\u2019s civilian infrastructure, commanders say nothing is off limits now.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis limitation has been lifted for us,\u201d IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi told reporters during an event on Saturday, in reference to missile range constraints.<\/p>\n

His comments came after Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei ordered an unrestrained military response<\/a> to any future threats from Israel and the US. Iran\u2019s aerospace division of the IRGC has prepared \u201csurprising defence achievements\u201d that will be deployed in action if another wave of major attacks starts, he added.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe operational unveiling of these [advanced] achievements in case of new conflict will not only frustrate and fascinate enemies, but will further solidify Iran\u2019s military authority on the global stage, make the resistance front happy, and fully neutralise aggressors\u2019 calculations,\u201d Mohebbi said.<\/p>\n

The spokesman said the IRGC plans to unveil another underground \u201cmissile city\u201d soon, and will deploy some combat systems to public spaces so the people can personally inspect them.<\/p>\n

Mohebbi added that if the Islamic republic decides to alter its nuclear doctrine<\/a> and build a bomb, the necessary preparations will be made.<\/p>\n

On state television\u2019s war-focused Be Vaght-e Iran (At Iran\u2019s Time) programme over the weekend, presenters and analysts said Iranian armed forces had their fingers on the trigger and were especially eyeing any movement from Israel.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur military information about the strategic chokepoints of Israel is complete. If our water, electricity and natural gas is cut off, they will also be plunged into darkness and lack of water,\u201d one analyst said. \u201cThis is not a bluff, but a serious warning.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Pendulum swing between war and talks\u2019<\/h2>\n

Over recent weeks, diplomatic efforts<\/a> by mediators to avoid attacks that could damage the entire region have picked up, although with limited gains.<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday that he held talks with 12 foreign ministers over the past 48 hours, including top diplomats from Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.<\/p>\n

He said he explained the \u201cfundamental positions\u201d of Tehran, including the seven demands to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and stressed the need to form \u201cregional security arrangements without the interference of superregional powers\u201d.<\/p>\n

Security chief Mohsen Rezaei<\/a> reportedly emphasised the same conditions to Russian President Vladimir Putin during a visit to Moscow<\/a> on Thursday, which was also aimed at delivering a message from Khamenei.<\/p>\n

\"ANKARA,
Pro-Israel hawk Stephen Miller has been appointed as chief of staff by President Donald Trump [Win McNamee\/Getty Images]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Developments between Iran and the US resemble a \u201cconstant pendulum swing between war and negotiations\u201d that is increasingly leaning towards conflict, according to political analyst Mostafa Najafi, who is said to be close to Iran\u2019s security chief.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is clear for now is that the movement of this pendulum will continue; a conflict whose ending is much more complicated and time-consuming than imagined,\u201d he wrote on X. The historic defeat for Trump and the Republicans in US midterm elections this week may further complicate the picture, he added.<\/p>\n

Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, said three factors increase the risk of war in the short term after the elections, unless negotiations lead to a breakthrough.<\/p>\n

The political cost of high fuel prices, brought about largely due to the war on Iran, has already been paid, he said, and there won\u2019t be another point on the political calendar soon for Trump to worry about this issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn the one hand, the pressure to get a deal will dissipate,\u201d he told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n

Pressure from pro-war hawks will also escalate significantly because they will be constrained in their efforts to step up the conflict after the Democrats take control of Congress in early January. The appointment of far-right, pro-Israel hawk Stephen Miller<\/a> as chief of staff also hints that Trump might not be ready to wind down the war.<\/p>\n

\u201cFinally, there is a new psychological element to Trump\u2019s mindset following this humiliation: Trump\u2019s desire for vengeance. There has been a vindictive element to his calculations in the past weeks because of his anger over how Iran \u2013 in Trump\u2019s mind \u2013 has ruined his presidency,\u201d Parsi said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Tehran, Iran \u2013 The United States has bombed Iran after vessels were targeted in the Strait of Hormuz, as mediators continue to try to prevent large-scale fighting between the two countries. Two projectiles hit Iran\u2019s Qeshm on Friday night, the latest in a series of air strikes on the southern island over recent weeks targeting…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14392,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_templately_pack_id":"","_templately_imported_at":"","_templately_source":"","_templately_import_session_id":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-international-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t