US forces strike Iran's Qeshm Island on the eve of the midterms 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.
The US military struck Iran's Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday evening after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired on a US aircraft, with officials confirming five explosions were heard across the island. Officials described the operation as limited and defensive, insisting it does not signal a return to full-scale hostilities. The strikes contradict Trump's public pledge that the US would not attack Iran before Tuesday's midterms, and come as a $47.1 billion war bill is already dragging Republican poll numbers down.
The White House deliberately withheld news of the strikes to avoid any suggestion that full-scale combat had resumed.
Trump told Fox News he still wants to hit Pickaxe Mountain, Iran's suspected nuclear site, saying it was 'not a big deal' and could be done 'in an hour.'
Iranian negotiators had spent a third consecutive day in Doha on Sunday in talks brokered by Qatari mediators, even as Tehran's foreign minister warned Iran is prepared for 'both diplomatic and military scenarios.'
