The United States (US) has carried out ‘defensive strikes’ on Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, a US official said, as Prime Minister (PM) of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu urged the Trump administration to launch another wave of attacks on Iran.
The US official, who spoke to an international media outlet on condition of anonymity, said that American forces targeted Iranians using surface-to-air missiles against US assets.
Iranian state television reported explosions on Qeshm Island after the strikes that appeared limited in scope rather than marking a full return to hostilities. They came before crucial US midterm elections, despite President Donald Trump previously saying that Washington will not launch strikes against Iran before the polls.
The Iran war and its impact on US gasoline prices and other parts of the economy have emerged as vulnerabilities for Republicans as they seek to retain control of Congress.
The developments came as Iran announced on Monday that it had a two-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume nuclear negotiations with the US.
Separately, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out a strike on a shipping port.
On Monday, US Vice President JD Vance said that he had spoken to Trump about negotiations with Iran and indicated that the administration remained hopeful about reaching an agreement.
Speaking to reporters, Vance said, “The president and I both feel pretty good about the prospects for potentially coming to a negotiated settlement.”
