US President Donald Trump confirmed that US forces carried out limited strikes on the evening of Friday, 6 November 2026 targeting a modern Iranian air defense system near Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, saying the operation lasted between 5 and 15 minutes. The strikes coincided with Iranian media reports of two explosions in the Souza area, while Iranian television quoted the army as saying it intercepted and destroyed a US MQ-9 drone over the island, without independent US confirmation. A CENTCOM official said the command was aware of the reports and that the situation was relatively calm, while NBC quoted officials as saying Trump had not yet decided on resuming major combat operations against Iran.
In a parallel security development, the Iranian army navy announced that a fire broke out this morning in an oil tanker it described as violating [regulations] after it collided with a naval mine east of the Strait of Hormuz. On the nuclear file, US Central Command announced a reward of up to $20 million for information on Iran's nuclear program, while a report in The Times that Iranian authorities were distributing iodine tablets to residents within a range of 2 to 3 kilometers of nuclear facilities raised fears of preparations for a new military confrontation; Iran's health ministry denied the report, insisting none of its officials had spoken to the newspaper. Satellite imagery analyses cited by the BBC also showed extensive digging, construction and repair work at at least 12 Iranian military sites, including major work at the "Taleqan 2" facility of the Parchin military complex and the repair and concrete reinforcement of an underground bunker, as well as a base near Tehran and the Shahroud base.
On the ground and in statements, the Iranian army announced that its military doctrine had shifted from defensive to offensive, with IRNA quoting its spokesman Mohammad Akraminia as saying the forces were "in a state of maximum alert, and stronger than they were at the start of the war." The Revolutionary Guard said missile production factories continued to operate during the US attacks, warning that "our next slaps will be stronger" if the enemy makes any mistake. Local reports also covered the carrying out of executions in Iran in what was described as a bloody end to a mysterious case.
Diplomatically, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said the United States remains ready to seek a solution to the conflict with Iran, and Qatar confirmed that its mediation between Washington and Tehran continues, as Tehran reviews Qatari proposals regarding its nuclear program. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced that he held separate phone calls with his counterparts in 12 countries over the past 48 hours — Oman, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Cyprus, Turkey, Kuwait, the UAE, Tunisia, Iraq and Pakistan — stressing the need to respect the sovereignty of states, halt threats and establish regional security arrangements removed from the interference of powers from outside the region. Pakistan's foreign ministry described Trump's remarks about the possibility of a nuclear strike on Iran as "dangerous."