U.S. reportedly strikes Iran's Qeshm Island as Vance hopes for ‘negotiated settlement’ with Tehran

• U.S. military carried out attacks on Iran's Qeshm Island on Monday, a Wall Street Journal report said.
• U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Monday said he was optimistic about reaching a 'negotiated settlement' with Iran.
• Vance said the Iranians are "unpredictable" and U.S. President Trump retains "kinetic and non-kinetic" options against Tehran.

JOINT BASE ANDREWS, MARYLAND - NOVEMBER 2: Vice President JD Vance descends from Air Force Two on November 2, 2026 in Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. The Vice President returned to Washington following midterm campaign stops in New York and Ohio. Tom Brenner | Getty Images News | Getty Images

The U.S. reportedly carried out strikes against Iran on Monday even as Vice President JD Vance expressed hopes of reaching a "negotiated settlement" with Tehran.

America attacked Iran's Qeshm Island on Monday, U.S. officials told The Wall Street Journal, which added that Washington has been carrying out "limited strikes" against the country in recent weeks. The military campaign against Iran has been kept quiet on purpose so as not to signal any intention of major combat escalation, the report said, quoting an unnamed official.

Qeshm Island, off Iran's southern coast, is the largest island in the Persian Gulf. Located near the Strait of Hormuz, it has emerged as a potential U.S. target amid reports that anti-ship missiles, mines, drones and attack craft are being kept there in underground tunnels.

President Donald Trump's administration has been talking down risks of an all-out war with Iran, with Vance being the latest to claim "good progress" in talks with Iran.

"The president and I both feel really good about the prospect of potentially coming to a negotiated settlement," Vance told CNN on Monday.

He added, though, that Iranians are "unpredictable" and Trump retains "kinetic and non-kinetic" options against Tehran. Vance said that Washington has not set any deadline for reaching a peace deal with Iran.

Trump said earlier Monday that the U.S. had to go to war with Iran to stop the country from having "a nuclear weapon," that "we're not going to allow Iran ever to have a nuclear weapon. And they understand that."

On Nov. 1, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had also said Trump would like to resolve the Iranian war "diplomatically," and prefers not to use military force.

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