US forces strike Iran's Qeshm Island on midterms eve DESPITE Trump's pledge of no attacks before the vote
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.
The US struck Iran's Qeshm Island with what officials described as "defensive" strikes after the IRGC fired surface-to-air missiles at a US aircraft, with explosions reported across the island in quick succession. The operation was deliberately kept low-profile to avoid signalling a return to full-scale hostilities, just hours before Americans voted in midterm elections that could strip Republicans of Congress.
Trump broke his own October pledge that the US would not attack Iran before Tuesday's vote.
A third US carrier strike group carrying 10,000 personnel is already heading to the Gulf, raising fears of full-scale resumption if Republicans suffer losses at the polls.
Trump told Fox News Iran's economy is 'cratering', claiming the US has sunk 159 of its ships and destroyed all 288 of its aircraft, but a senior Iranian official said the two sides remain far from a deal.
