U.S. forces carried out limited strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island on Monday, according to U.S. officials, a day before American voters went to the polls in midterm elections. The officials described the action as a response to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps firing on a U.S. aircraft.
CBS News and The Associated Press also reported the strikes, citing U.S. officials. Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported several explosions on Qeshm, in the Strait of Hormuz. Public accounts did not provide confirmed figures for casualties or damage.
The strikes came on Nov. 2, ahead of the Nov. 3 midterms that would determine control of Congress. President Donald Trump has faced declining poll numbers and pressure from within his party to end the war, which began in February with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran. The timing of the strikes does not establish that the elections influenced the military decision.
Trump told reporters Monday that he was “in no rush” to intensify attacks. In an interview with Fox News, he also said the U.S. might target Pickaxe, a site linked to Iran’s nuclear program, describing such an operation as something that could be done in “one hour.” He denied that major strikes were planned immediately after the midterms.
Diplomatic efforts were also continuing. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told IRNA that intensive talks with the United States were under way through mediators. He said Tehran was prepared for either diplomacy or military action, and said Washington had to choose between negotiations and what he called military aggression.
Nicole French