Multiple explosions were reported on Qeshm Island off Iran’s southern coast on Monday, and a Wall Street Journal report that the United States struck the island raised the stakes around the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran has not confirmed the cause, and no casualties were reported at the time.

What was reported on Qeshm

Iran’s state-run IRNA said five explosions were heard on Qeshm, with additional blasts reported in the nearby port city of Bandar Lengeh. IRNA also said residents on the island noticed two aircraft flying overhead. Separate unverified accounts put the number of blasts as high as six and extended them to Bandar Abbas, but those reports have not been independently confirmed.

Arab News reported that the Wall Street Journal, citing US officials, said Washington struck Qeshm. That account said the attack was one of a series of smaller strikes carried out in recent weeks and kept secret to avoid signaling any return to a broader military campaign. Another report cited an unnamed US official describing the action as a defensive measure involving Iranians using surface-to-air missiles against US assets. US Central Command did not immediately comment.

Why the location matters

Qeshm sits in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which energy supplies from the Gulf move toward global markets. That makes any unexplained military activity there important well beyond the island itself, because even limited incidents can affect perceptions of shipping risk.

The timing also matters because Iranian forces were already making fresh claims about US drones in the same area. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force said earlier on Monday that it had shot down three US drones near the strait, including what it described as the 55th MQ-9 military drone. Press TV separately reported the IRGC’s claim that two US MQM-170 reconnaissance drones were intercepted south of Qeshm using electronic warfare, while a separate IRGC announcement said a US MQ-9 drone had been intercepted and destroyed east of the strait. No source has established a connection between those claims and the reported explosions.

Diplomacy was moving at the same time

The blasts were reported hours after President Donald Trump said a deal with Iran could happen. When asked whether he was considering strikes after Tuesday’s midterm elections, he answered no.

Iranian officials also said intensive negotiations were under way and indicated that Tehran could reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days if Washington accepted a set of conditions. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said the possibility of doing so within two days was a sign of Iran’s good faith, A September proposal had linked reopening the waterway to concessions including ending hostilities, releasing frozen Iranian assets, removing oil-related sanctions and lifting the US blockade of Iranian ports.

For now, the key unanswered question is whether the explosions were caused by a US strike or whether the competing reports point to something else. Until Iranian or US officials give a clear account, the incident remains an unconfirmed flashpoint in a region where even limited action can ripple through security and energy markets.