US strikes Iran's Qeshm Island as midterm elections approach
US officials said the limited strikes followed IRGC fire on an American aircraft, while Iran reported intensive indirect talks aimed at ending the war.
By Kofi Greco ·
The United States has carried out strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, US officials told CBS, the BBC's US partner, ahead of American midterm elections. The officials characterised the operation as limited and said it followed Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps firing on a US aircraft.
Iran's state news agency IRNA reported multiple explosions on the island on Monday. The BBC sought comment from US Central Command, the military command responsible for American operations across the Middle East. The US officials who spoke to CBS described the strikes as a response to the incident involving the aircraft.
The operation comes as voters prepare to determine whether Republicans or Democrats will control Congress. Trump has faced declining poll numbers and calls from within his own party to bring the war to an end. The conflict began in February when the United States and Israel attacked Iran.
Earlier on Monday, Trump told reporters he was in "no rush" to intensify attacks against Iran. Speaking to Axios, he said the United States would take some form of action but did not need to hurry. He claimed Iran had been financially crippled, lacked money and gasoline, and had a population growing increasingly tired of the situation.
In a separate interview with Fox News on the eve of the elections, Trump raised the possibility of attacking Pickaxe, a site associated with Iran's nuclear programme. He said the United States "might need to go after" the site, describing such an operation as "not a big deal" that could be completed in "one hour".
Speculation has grown in recent days that Washington could restart significant strikes against Iran after the midterm vote. Asked by a reporter on Monday whether that was the plan, Trump answered "no".
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told IRNA that efforts to end the war were continuing through mediators. He described the indirect discussions with the United States as "very intensive", indicating that diplomatic exchanges were under way despite the prospect of further military action.
Araghchi also said Tehran was more prepared than ever for either diplomacy or military developments. He presented the decision as Washington's, urging it to choose what he called the "wise path" of negotiations instead of the "mistake of military aggression".
Source: BBC News
