American forces hit Iran’s Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, with US officials confirming the strikes to CBS News — the BBC’s US partner — just hours before polls open in the American midterms.
Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported multiple explosions on the island, while US officials described the operation as limited, framing it as a direct response to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps firing on a US aircraft.
US Central Command, the military arm responsible for Middle East operations, has been approached for comment.
Coming on the eve of an election that will decide who controls Congress, the timing could hardly be more loaded.
A President Walking a Tightrope
Donald Trump enters Tuesday’s vote with falling poll numbers and pressure from within his own party to wind down a war that began in February, when the US and Israel attacked Iran.
Hours before the strikes were reported, the President struck a deliberately measured tone, telling reporters he was in no hurry to escalate.
He argued the US had already crippled Iran financially — claiming the country has no money, no gasoline, and a population growing weary of the conflict. Either way, he said, action would come eventually, but not in haste.
In a separate interview on the eve of the midterms, Trump floated the possibility of targeting Pickaxe, a site tied to Iran’s nuclear programme, dismissing it as a minor operation that could be completed within an hour.
Speculation had been building for days that Washington might resume significant strikes once the votes were counted. Asked directly on Monday whether that was the plan, Trump said no.
Tehran’s Two-Track Strategy
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told IRNA that “very intensive” negotiations aimed at ending the war are underway with Washington through mediators.
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He said Tehran is prepared for both diplomacy and military confrontation more thoroughly than ever before, and that the choice now rests with the US — between what he called the wise path of negotiation and the mistake of military aggression.