US officials have informed CBS, the BBC’s US partner, that the US has launched strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran fired on a US aircraft, prompting the government to describe the strikes as limited and defensive. Explosions on Qeshm were reported on Monday by Iran’s official news agency, Irna. The IRGC reported that its forces had shot down a US MQ-9 drone east of the Strait of Hormuz and two US MQM-170 drones south of the island, but they did not comment. The strikes, which occurred as negotiators increased their efforts to avert a return to full-scale conflict following Tuesday’s US midterm elections, have not been addressed by the US military.
Since the US and Israel attacked Iran in February, Trump has been under pressure to stop the war from both his Republican Party and declining poll numbers. The president told reporters earlier on Monday that there was “no rush” to increase the number of strikes against Iran.We’ll take action in one way or another, but there’s no rush. We financially ruined them,” he said to news agency Axios. “They have no money, no petrol and their people are getting very tired of it.” In an interview with Fox News on the eve of the midterms, he also stated that the US “might need to go after Pickaxe [Mountain],” an underground location connected to Iran’s nuclear program.
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