Iran claims it shot down US drones over the Gulf hours after American strikes hit Qeshm Island on election eve
Donald Trump, pictured with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance, whose notably different tones on Iran — Vance voicing optimism over a diplomatic deal — emerged as polls opened on the midterms.Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iranian state media reported overnight explosions confirming the US strikes, just hours before midterm polls opened.A billboard of Donald Trump in Tehran, where Iranian authorities have unveiled the mural in the country's capital city.IRGC Navy missile infrastructure tunnels along Iran's southern coast, as Tehran unveiled a mural calling for the killing of Donald Trump.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed Tuesday it downed US-made Lucas drones near Bandar Khamir and over the Strait of Hormuz, escalating tensions hours after the overnight Qeshm strikes. Trump told Fox News the action was "just a minor attack", saying US forces had watched Iran build the new surface-to-air missile facility over two months before hitting it "very nicely" the moment it was completed. Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf — the lead peace negotiator — warned Tehran had given Washington a "firm and rational response" and that "the ball is now in Washington's court to prevent war."
Some US officials accuse Israel of trying to draw Trump back into full-scale operations, with Israeli chemical weapons claims dividing the administration.
Trump simultaneously signalled openness to diplomacy, posting that "Iran wants a settlement, as soon as possible" while a senior Iranian official said a deal remains far off.
