US strikes Iran's Qeshm Island day before midterms, citing defense of merchant ships

The United States struck Iran's Qeshm Island — a strategic chokepoint in the Strait of Hormuz — on Monday (local time), the day before US midterm elections, according to reports. The limited operation came as President Donald Trump shrugged off suggestions that Washington would resume large-scale attacks on Iran after the vote, with officials framing the strike as a defensive measure to protect commercial shipping.

The Wall Street Journal reported Monday, citing US officials, that American forces had struck Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz.

Officials said the strike was defensive in nature, intended to prevent Iran from freely attacking merchant vessels passing through the strait.

Earlier that day, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said an oil tanker had strayed from its designated route in the eastern Strait of Hormuz and caught fire after striking a mine.

CENTCOM, which oversees US military operations in the Middle East, made no official announcement about the strike and did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Wall Street Journal.

One official said the US had been carrying out limited airstrikes against Iran over recent weeks and was keeping them undisclosed to avoid signaling any intent to resume large-scale military operations.

Iran's state-run IRNA news agency also reported Monday that multiple explosions were heard near Qeshm Island. Iranian authorities have not issued an official statement in response.

Qeshm Island is a key Iranian military hub, home to an extensive network of below-ground missile bases, naval installations and major seawater desalination facilities, as well as concentrated oil and gas infrastructure.

Trump shrugged off the possibility of resuming strikes against Iran immediately after Tuesday's midterm elections. When reporters asked whether he was considering renewed attacks after the vote, he replied simply, "No." In a separate interview with the online outlet Axios, he said of Iran: "We'll do something one way or another, but there's no need to rush."