The United States carried out what officials called defensive airstrikes on Iran's Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. The strikes came as attacks on commercial shipping increase and diplomatic efforts to reopen one of the world's most important energy routes remain stalled.

Two U.S. officials told ABC News that the strikes do not mean a return to major combat operations against Iran. One official said it was the latest in a series of limited strikes by U.S. forces in recent weeks. Some officials told The Wall Street Journal the operation was meant to stop Iran from using the island to threaten ships passing through the strait.

Qeshm is Iran's largest island and sits inside the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman.

Attacks on shipping increase

Iran has increased attacks on commercial vessels in the strait in recent weeks. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center, which monitors shipping security, reported two attacks on Sunday alone. In the afternoon, a merchant ship in the strait reported that another vessel nearby had been hit by an unknown projectile. That night, a tanker heading southeast through the Persian Gulf was hit by two unknown projectiles about 72 nautical miles east of the Saudi coastal city of........

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