US Conducts Limited Strikes on Iranian Targets in Strait of Hormuz on Eve of Midterms

On Monday, the eve of the American midterm elections, a U.S. official said the United States had carried out defensive strikes on some Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz. The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the targets were Iranians using surface-to-air missiles against U.S. assets. Iranian state television reported that explosions were heard on Qeshm Island.

The strikes appeared limited, not a full return to hostilities. They also landed awkwardly in the political calendar: President Donald Trump has said previously that the U.S. would not strike Iran before the midterms. The unpopular Iran war, and its effect on gasoline prices and other parts of the economy, has been a vulnerability for Republicans trying to keep control of Congress. Earlier Monday, Vice President JD Vance told reporters he had just spoken to Trump about the talks with Iran, and that the two of them felt pretty good about the prospects for potentially reaching a negotiated settlement.

Behind the scenes, the pressure runs in more than one direction. Two regional officials in the Middle East and a third person familiar with the matter told the Associated Press that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing for another wave of strikes on Iran after Tuesday's vote. According to a person briefed on the call, Netanyahu raised it with Trump over the weekend, and Trump would not commit to military action. Other U.S. allies in the region are warning that more strikes would destabilize it, a third regional official said. The Israeli government did not immediately comment, and the White House did not directly answer questions about the call. Trump has swung between threatening major strikes and pressing for a deal.

The two officials said diplomacy has made progress. Mediators are trying to advance a framework under which Iran would stop its attacks in the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. would lift its blockade of Iran's ports. More talks are planned for this week. The officials said they were describing classified briefings from American officials and one Israeli official.

Iran, for its part, said it has a two-day plan to reopen the strait and resume nuclear talks with the U.S., provided Washington meets its demands. It had earlier said the plan could be carried out within a week if the U.S. met seven conditions, including lifting the port blockade. Iran now says ships using the reopened strait would have to follow a route agreed between Iran and Oman. Iranian officials have also said the U.S. must lift sanctions on Iranian oil sales and agree to a ceasefire that includes Lebanon. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the plan remains the basis for negotiations through mediators despite the shorter timeline, calling it further proof of Iran's good-faith approach.

The strait remains dangerous. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said a vessel crossing it was struck Monday by an unknown projectile that left a hole in the ship; all crew were reported safe. Iran has claimed attacks on vessels it says took unauthorized routes, and other ships have reportedly hit mines Iran laid early in the war. The U.S. military denies the mine claims, saying U.S. forces have cleared all internationally recognized routes.

In Yemen, the Iran-backed Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of striking a port on the Red Sea coast and setting ships on fire. The Houthi-run health ministry said explosives hit a market in the southwest, killing seven people, five of them children, and wounding eight others, five of them children, according to spokesperson Anees al-Asbah. Saudi authorities did not immediately comment, and the AP could not independently verify either claim. The Saudi-backed Yemeni military, meanwhile, said a Houthi missile hit a medical center in the Madaribah district of Lahij province, killing at least five people, three of them medical personnel, and wounding 15, seven of them medical workers. A separate Houthi attack on a market in Aqroudh village, also in Lahij, killed and wounded 26 people in total, the Human Rights Ministry said, without a breakdown.

Elsewhere, China said it will send a special envoy to Iran, Oman and Saudi Arabia in early to mid-November to ease tensions, according to spokesperson Mao Ning. And in the West Bank, Israel ended a Hebron operation begun after two Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers; hundreds of displaced Palestinians began returning home.

What to watch now: whether Netanyahu's push for new strikes gains traction after the election, and whether this week's talks advance the swap of Iranian attacks for an end to the U.S. blockade.