On a Monday just before American voters decided who would control Congress, explosions rang out on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, and Iranian state media reported them while US officials later acknowledged the strikes as limited and defensive. The episode sits within a war that began in February and has worn on a president whose standing is slipping and whose own party is asking for an end to it. Even as Washington claims restraint and Tehran speaks of intensive mediated talks, both sides keep their options open, and the question of whether force will grow or give way to negotiation rem
US Strikes Iranian Island of Qeshm Days Before Midterms as Talks Continue Through Mediators
"One way or the other, we will do something, but there is no rush."
Mark
So what actually happened on Qeshm?
Mimi
IRNA reported several explosions on the island on Monday. US officials then told CBS the US carried out limited strikes in response to the IRGC firing on a US aircraft.
Luke
Worth noting who is speaking there. The defensive justification comes from unnamed US officials. Centcom hasn't commented yet, as far as the reporting goes.
Mark
Why does the timing around the midterms draw attention?
Mimi
Trump is facing falling polls and pressure within his party to end a war that began in February. The strikes land right before voters decide control of Congress.
Luke
Careful, though. Nothing here says the strikes were timed for the election. The reporting only establishes that they came just before it.
Mark
And Trump's own words that day?
Mimi
He said there's "no rush" to escalate, that Iran has been crippled financially, and that the US might go after Pickaxe, a nuclear-linked site, which he said would take an hour.
Luke
He also said no when asked if strikes would ramp up after the midterms. That's a statement of intent, not a guarantee.
Mark
What is Iran saying?
Mimi
Araghchi says very intensive talks are under way through mediators, and that Iran is ready for either diplomacy or a military confrontation.
Luke
That's his account to state media. We don't have the US side confirming the talks, and we don't know the extent of damage or casualties on Qeshm.
Il Polso
- Explosions on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz were reported by Iranian state media before any American account emerged.
- US officials describe the strikes as limited and defensive, framing them as a response to IRGC fire on an American aircraft.
- Trump, with falling polls and pressure from his party, says there is 'no rush' to escalate while warning that 'one way or the other, we will do something.'
- Talk of Pickaxe, an Iranian nuclear-linked site, and the possibility of renewed strikes after the midterms keeps tension high.
- Tehran says intensive mediated talks are underway and warns that the choice between diplomacy and 'military aggression' rests with Washington.
On a Monday just before American voters decided who would control Congress, explosions rang out on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, and Iranian state media reported them while US officials later acknowledged the strikes as limited and defensive. The episode sits within a war that began in February and has worn on a president whose standing is slipping and whose own party is asking for an end to it. Even as Washington claims restraint and Tehran speaks of intensive mediated talks, both sides keep their options open, and the question of whether force will grow or give way to negotiation remains unanswered.
On Monday, Iran's state news agency IRNA reported several explosions on Qeshm Island, a strategic spot in the Strait of Hormuz. Later, US officials told CBS that American forces were responsible, describing the strikes as limited and defensive, a answer to Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fire on a US aircraft. The Pentagon's regional command has not yet given its own account.
The timing carried its own weight. The strikes landed just before the midterm elections, in a war that began in February when the US and Israel attacked Iran. Trump has seen his poll numbers fall and faced pressure from within his party to end the conflict. Earlier that day he told reporters there was 'no rush' to step up strikes, saying Iran had 'no money, no gasoline' and a population growing tired of the fight.
He also raised the possibility of striking Pickaxe, a site tied to Iran's nuclear programme, calling it 'not a big deal.' Asked whether significant strikes would resume after the vote, he answered 'no.'
Tehran, for its part, described talks through mediators as 'very intensive,' while warning it was ready for both diplomacy and military action, and that the choice lay with Washington.
On Monday, Iran's state news agency IRNA reported several explosions on Qeshm Island, in the Strait of Hormuz. Later, US officials told CBS, the BBC's US partner, that the United States was behind them: strikes on the island that they described as limited.
The officials gave a defensive reason. They said the strikes answered the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps firing on a US aircraft. That account comes from US officials speaking to CBS. The BBC has contacted US Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the Middle East, for comment.
The timing matters. The strikes came just ahead of the US midterm elections, which will decide whether Republicans or Democrats control Congress. The war began in February, when the US and Israel attacked Iran. President Trump has since faced falling poll numbers and pressure from inside his own party to bring it to an end.
Earlier on Monday, Trump told reporters he was in "no rush" to step up strikes on Iran. Speaking to the news outlet Axios, he said: "One way or the other, we will do something, but there is no rush." He added that the US had "crippled them financially," and that Iran has "no money, no gasoline" and a population "getting very tired of it."
In an interview with Fox News on the eve of the vote, Trump said the US "might need to go after Pickaxe," a site linked to Iran's nuclear programme. He called that "not a big deal" and said it could be done in "one hour."
Speculation has been building over the past few days that the US could resume significant strikes in Iran after the midterms. When a reporter asked Trump on Monday whether that was the plan, he answered "no."
Tehran described a parallel track. Foreign minister Abbas Araghchi told IRNA that "very intensive" talks to end the war are under way with the US through mediators. He also said Iran is prepared for both diplomatic and military scenarios "more than ever before," and that the choice rests with Washington: a "wise path" of negotiation or the "mistake of military aggression."
Two things are worth watching. One is Centcom's response on the Qeshm strikes, which would add an official military account to what officials told CBS. The other is whether the pace of American action changes once the votes are counted, despite Trump's denial.
Citazioni salienti
One way or the other, we will do something, but there is no rush. We crippled them financially.— Donald Trump, to Axios
Iran is prepared for both diplomatic and military scenarios more than ever before, and the US must choose between a wise path of negotiation or the mistake of military aggression.— Abbas Araghchi, Iranian foreign minister, to IRNA (paraphrased)
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