The United States has launched strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, multiple media source cited US officials.
Iranian state news agency IRNA reported several explosions on the island on Monday.
The US officials said though the strikes was limited, they were in response to the Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) firing upon a US aircraft.
The development comes few hours ahead of the US midterm elections, even though Trump had pledged not to strike Iran until elections are through.
Earlier on Monday, Trump .told reporters that he was in “no rush” to ramp up strikes on Iran.
“One way or the other, we will do something, but there is no rush. We crippled them financially,” he told news outlet Axios. “They have no money, no gasoline and their people are getting very tired of it.”
He also said the US “might need to go after Pickaxe”, a site linked to Iran’s nuclear programme, in an interview with Fox News on the eve of the midterm elections.
This was “not a big deal” and could be done in “one hour”, Trump added.
There has been mounting speculation in the last few days that the US may resume significant strikes in Iran again after the midterms. But asked by a reporter on Monday if that was the case, Trump said “no”.
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi told the IRNA earlier that “very intensive” talks to try and end the war are under way with the US via mediators.
He also said Tehran was prepared for both diplomatic and military scenarios “more than ever before” and that it was up to the US to choose between a “wise path” of negotiation or the “mistake of military aggression”.
