US strikes Iran's Qeshm Island in Strait of Hormuz

The United States carried out strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, US officials told CBS, the BBC's US partner. Iranian state news agency IRNA reported several explosions on the island. The strikes came a day before the US midterm elections, which will decide whether Republicans or Democrats control Congress.

The officials described the strikes as limited and said they were a response to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) firing on a US aircraft. The BBC has asked US Central Command (Centcom), the part of the American military responsible for operations in the Middle East, for comment.

War and political pressure

The war began in February, when the US and Israel attacked Iran. President Donald Trump faces falling poll numbers and pressure from within his own party to end it.

Earlier on Monday, Trump told the outlet Axios he was in "no rush" to escalate: "One way or the other, we will do something, but there is no rush. We crippled them financially." He claimed Iranians have "no money, no gasoline" and are growing tired of the conflict. In an interview with Fox News, he said the US "might need to go after Pickaxe", a site linked to Iran's nuclear programme. He called this "not a big deal" and said it could be done in "one hour".

Speculation has grown in recent days that the US could resume significant strikes after the midterms. Asked by a reporter on Monday whether that was the case, Trump said "no".

Talks through mediators

Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, told IRNA that "very intensive" talks to end the war are under way with the US through mediators. He said Tehran is prepared for both diplomatic and military scenarios "more than ever before", and that it is up to Washington to choose between a "wise path" of negotiation and the "mistake of military aggression".