The US launched strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, according to US officials who spoke to CBS. Iranian state news agency IRNA reported several explosions on the island. US officials described the strikes as limited and said they were in response to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps firing upon a US aircraft.
The strikes occur ahead of the US midterm elections. Trump has faced falling polling numbers and pressure within his party to end the war, which began when the US and Israel attacked Iran in February. On Monday, Trump told Axios he was in "no rush" to ramp up strikes, saying "We crippled them financially. They have no money, no gasoline and their people are getting very tired of it." He told Fox News the US "might need to go after Pickaxe," a site linked to Iran's nuclear programme, describing it as "not a big deal" and achievable in "one hour."
When asked whether the US planned to resume significant strikes after the midterms, Trump said "no." Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi told IRNA that "very intensive" talks to end the war are underway with the US via mediators. Araghchi said Tehran was prepared for both diplomatic and military scenarios and that the US must choose between negotiation or "the mistake of military aggression."