Despite ongoing negotiations and just as minor progress was emerging between the US and Iran through Qatari mediation, the American military suddenly decided to strike Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island, with 5 explosions recorded specifically on Qeshm. Meanwhile, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced it shot down a 4th American MQM-170 reconnaissance drone and destroyed a 55th MQ-9 Reaper drone belonging to American forces. Nonetheless, the US president is in no rush to decide whether to resume full-scale war with Iran, as evidenced by an interview given to Israeli Channel 12 on November 2, 2026, shaping US-Iran military escalation.
Explosions in Bandar Abbas, 5 US strikes on Qeshm Island in Southern Iran by American forces
Four explosions occurred in Bandar Abbas and 5 explosions in Qeshm following American attacks in Southern Iran. According to Al Jazeera, The Wall Street Journal, citing several US officials, claimed that the United States conducted an attack on Qeshm Island in Iran. Specifically, 4 explosions occurred in Bandar Abbas and 5 explosions were heard on Qeshm Island. According to an IRNA correspondent on Qeshm, these explosions occurred consecutively one after another, and given the intensity of the blasts, it appears they occurred inside the island. Some residents of Qeshm have also reported seeing two aircraft flying in the sky above Qeshm. According to Fars News Agency, several explosions were heard on Qeshm Island, altering Persian Gulf security.
Americans confirmed the attacks — Limited in scale
US officials maintained that the operation was part of a series of limited-scale strikes that Washington carried out secretly against Iranian targets in recent weeks. The strikes were "limited in scale" and there are no immediate plans for escalation, officials told The New York Times. They added that previous operations targeted empty cruise missile launchers after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps shot down an American drone and attempted unsuccessfully to strike two American fighter jets flying over the Strait of Hormuz. Another US official told the Associated Press that the US executed "defensive" strikes against Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz. Axios reported, citing an American official, that a US fighter jet destroyed an Iranian anti-aircraft missile launcher after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps opened fire on an American aircraft from Qeshm Island, while another source told US media outlet NewsNation that US armed forces struck radar tracking systems and missile launchers on Qeshm Island, defining US defensive strikes.
Trump: I am in no rush to restart war with Iran — We are paralyzing their economy — Negotiations going well
The US president is in no rush to decide whether to resume war with Iran, as revealed in the interview given to Israeli Channel 12 on Monday evening, November 2, 2026. "I am in no rush to do anything. We are paralyzing their economy." The US president added: "There is no sense of urgency among the Iranian leadership as I thought. But they want a deal more than at any other time since the start of the war." In his statements, Trump emphasized that Iranians lack money or fuel and that the country's population has also grown weary of the current situation. Regarding talks between the US and Iran mediated by Qatar, the US president stated: "We are talking with them. The talks are going well. The problem is we are not sure who makes the decisions, and we don't want them trying to delay us again." The US president now confronts a range of pressures. Certain advisers to Trump believe an agreement should be reached because a new strike would yield no different results. Furthermore, most Gulf leaders support this stance. Conversely, several other advisers believe he should resume the war to "finish the job." Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu also supports this view and promotes it. Trump wants to grant talks time to reach a conclusion for now and does not want Israel disturbing the process. Naturally, if talks fail, the situation could shift significantly, influencing Qatar diplomatic talks.
Mohammad Akraminia (Iran Military): We will strike the Americans everywhere
Mohammad Akraminia, spokesperson for the Iranian armed forces, warned that any new aggressive action by the US will trigger an immediate and wider-scale response expanding beyond Western Asia, according to semi-official Iranian news agency Mehr. Spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia stated that any future US military operation will be met with strikes "harsher and wider in scale than in the past." He also warned that should a new war break out, "the geographic scope of the conflict will not be limited to the Western Asia region." Akraminia added that Iranian armed forces continuously update their list of prospective targets to be capable of striking all types of hostile installations and assets. In the event of a new conflict, he noted, American "installations, equipment, personnel, and interests, in any location within range of Iranian forces, could constitute targets." He also claimed Iran's opponents attempted to establish a land front along the country's western border by arming anti-government organizations based in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq. However, according to him, deploying Iranian military units and executing "preemptive operations against positions of these organizations" successfully averted execution of their plans, altering Iranian retaliatory threats.
IRGC: We captured 4th American MQM-170 reconnaissance drone and destroyed 55th MQ-9 drone
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) captured two additional American MQM-170 reconnaissance drones in the sky south of Qeshm Island, bringing the total number of such drones confiscated by IRGC forces to four. The IRGC Aerospace Force grounded the reconnaissance drones using advanced electronic warfare systems. The statement added that the new seizure increases the total number of American MQM-170 drones confiscated by elite IRGC officers to four. The IRGC also announced its forces detected and destroyed a 55th advanced American MQ-9 drone in airspace east of the Strait of Hormuz. A new air defense system belonging to the Aerospace Force, operating within the country's integrated air defense network, executed the interception. "The invading American enemy failed once again to achieve its objectives through deploying such drones," the statement read.
The IRGC noted that Iranian forces have also captured 14 American MQ-1 drones. These consecutive operations highlight the growing effectiveness of Iran's domestic electronic warfare and multi-layered air defense architecture in neutralizing enemy unmanned platforms without relying solely on conventional kinetic means. Recent seizures follow previous successful recoveries of MQM-170 drones by IRGC Navy and Aerospace units in the western Strait of Hormuz and over Qeshm in recent days. The drones, manufactured by American company Griffon Aerospace and originally designed for aerial targets and decoys, have been utilized by US forces to probe Iranian air defense systems along the Persian Gulf coast. Since the launch of the US-Israeli offensive war against the Islamic Republic in February, Iranian air defenses have destroyed or captured dozens of American MQ-9 Reaper and MQ-1 drones, repeatedly demonstrating the vulnerability of Washington's high-value unmanned assets over the strategic Hormuz waterway, defining electronic warfare interceptions.
Iran will attack US bases in Europe in case of further aggression
Iran will attack US bases outside the Middle East if American aggression continues, according to an Iranian lawmaker. "Outside the region means places used against us. Currently, the geographic area—and evidence exists for this—is Europe. Therefore, within the framework of absent geographic restrictions—yes, this means our missiles will reach Europe," reported news agency ISNA. Earlier, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran announced that Supreme Leader Khamenei ordered resolution of the conflict through dialogue. Meanwhile, the Iranian military had previously declared readiness to respond militarily, threatening among other things to expand the fighting. According to Axios, three camps have now formed around Trump: Vice President Vance and Persian Gulf monarchies insist on a deal with Iran; the head of the Pentagon and the Israeli prime minister demand resumption of strikes; and leadership at the State Department, Treasury, and CIA call solely for continued economic pressure, impacting European security threats.
Tucker Carlson: US, under Israeli pressure, will launch attack on Iran... with nuclear weapons by November 7, 2026
American journalist Tucker Carlson claims that the United States, under pressure from Israel, could launch an attack on Pickaxe Mountain in Iran by November 7, 2026. "Under pressure from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Trump administration may launch a nuclear attack on Iran within the coming days. The target will be Pickaxe Mountain in central Iran," he wrote on social media. This is the location where Israeli intelligence claims uranium enrichment takes place, journalist Tucker Carlson recalled. According to an anonymous "informed observer," this represents the step Israeli authorities insist upon. "Benjamin Netanyahu calls Trump about this every day," Tucker Carlson's source is quoted as saying. His interlocutors say Trump will likely reach a decision by the end of this week, namely by November 7. "To his credit, he is in no rush. Trump is currently listening to his Vice President, Vance, and his envoy and friend, Steve Witkoff, who both say a deal can be reached with Iran," writes Tucker Carlson, shaping nuclear strike warnings.
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