The US has launched fresh strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, officials have said, just hours before Americans head to the polls in midterm elections that could reshape the remainder of Donald Trump’s presidency.
Iranian state news agency IRNA reported several explosions on the island on Monday, while Iranian state television also reported blasts. A US official, speaking anonymously because they were not authorised to comment publicly, said the strikes targeted Iranians using surface-to-air missiles against US assets.
The attacks were described by US officials as limited in scope and were said to be a response to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) firing on a US aircraft. They did not appear to signal a return to full-scale hostilities.
The timing is politically sensitive for Trump. The midterm elections will determine whether Republicans retain control of Congress or Democrats take power in one or both chambers, potentially making it harder for the president to advance his legislative agenda.
The conflict with Iran, and its impact on petrol prices and the wider US economy, has emerged as a vulnerability for Republicans seeking to hold on to their congressional majorities.
Trump had previously indicated that the US would not launch fresh strikes before election day. Asked on Monday whether Washington would resume attacks after the midterms, he replied: “No”.
Earlier, however, the president told reporters he was in “no rush” to escalate military action against Tehran.
“One way or the other, we will do something, but there is no rush. We crippled them financially,” he told Axios. “They have no money, no gasoline and their people are getting very tired of it.”
The latest strikes underline the delicate balance facing the White House as Trump seeks to maintain pressure on Iran while avoiding a wider conflict with potentially significant consequences for energy markets and the domestic political landscape.
With control of Congress at stake, any escalation risks further exposing Republicans to criticism over the economic costs of the war.
Trump could be days away from authorising a nuclear strike against Iran, Tucker Carlson has claimed, warning that pressure from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu risks triggering a catastrophic global conflict.
The former Fox News presenter alleged that Netanyahu is urging the US president to use nuclear weapons against Pickaxe Mountain, an underground Iranian facility where Israeli intelligence reportedly believes Tehran has resumed uranium enrichment.
In a lengthy post on X, Carlson claimed the Trump administration could be approaching a decision with potentially devastating consequences.
“Under pressure from Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Trump administration may be within days of launching a nuclear strike on Iran,” he wrote.
Carlson argued that the facility, buried beneath approximately 300 feet of solid granite, could not be destroyed using conventional American weapons.
“No conventional weapon in the American arsenal can penetrate 300 feet of solid granite to destroy the tunnels where enrichment is supposedly taking place. The only military option is a nuclear strike,” he claimed.
He added that an unnamed source had told him: “Bibi calls Trump about it every day.”
The allegations come as speculation grows over whether Washington will resume major military operations against Tehran following this week’s US midterm elections. Carlson claimed Trump could decide by November 7 whether to authorise a nuclear attack, although there is no independently verified evidence that such a decision is being considered.
Neither the White House nor the Israeli government has confirmed Carlson’s claims. Trump also said in an October 16 interview that he would not use nuclear weapons against Iran, adding: “I wouldn’t use nuclear. We don’t have to.”
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