Oil rises after reported US strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island
Officials quoted by Reuters called the operation "defensive"; Anadolu reported explosions along Iran's southern coast and Washington has not announced the strikes.
Oil prices rose after reports that the United States carried out strikes on Qeshm Island in southern Iran, with Reuters citing officials who described the operation as "defensive".
The strike reports were carried by Reuters, Haaretz and CNA. None of the accounts said what was hit on the island, how many people were killed or injured, or what damage was done. No Iranian government or military statement appeared in any of the reports.
Anadolu Agency reported that explosions were heard in southern Iran's coastal areas. The Turkish agency did not say who carried them out or identify a specific target.
According to CNA, the United States did not publicly announce the attacks. The outlet cited the Wall Street Journal as reporting that Washington stayed silent so as not to signal any intention of resuming major combat operations.
Qeshm is Iran's largest island, lying in the Gulf near the Strait of Hormuz, the channel through which a large share of the world's seaborne oil is shipped. Military action there carries consequences for energy markets and for shipping through the strait, which is why crude prices moved on the report.
The accounts did not say whether the strikes were delivered by aircraft, drones or missiles, or from where they were launched. They gave no indication of any Iranian response, and no confirmation that the United States regards the operation as finished.
Haaretz presented its account as a report attributed to officials rather than as an announced operation. Reuters first reported the effect on oil prices and, in a separate report, the official description of the strikes as defensive.
Details of the incident could not be independently confirmed. The reported strikes come amid long-running tension between Washington and Tehran over Iran's nuclear programme and its role in the region, though none of the reports linked this operation to a specific trigger.
How the reports differ
Reuters led on the market, reporting a rise in oil after the strike report, and in a second story quoted unnamed officials calling the strikes "defensive". Anadolu Agency reported only that explosions were heard in southern Iran's coastal areas, without saying who was responsible. Haaretz attributed its account to officials rather than to any US announcement. CNA carried the detail the others did not: that Washington had not announced the attacks publicly, citing the Wall Street Journal's explanation that it did so to avoid signalling a return to major combat.
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