US Military Strikes Qeshm Island as Midterm Elections Approach

The United States has conducted limited strikes on the island of Qeshm in Iran, at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz, as a "defensive operation" after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) attacked a U.S plane, officials told CBS News, the BBC’s U.S. sister.

Iranian State media reported multiple blasts on Monday. The IRGC have not directly confirmed the U.S assault, but said they shot down two MQM-170 surveillance drones and one MQ-9 drone over southern seas near the island, and have not been confirmed.

Limited Strike

U.S officials said the operation was very limited. Reports in U.S. media said the U.S. responded to an attack by Iranian forces using surface-to-air missiles by targeting Iranian air defences and missile sites.

There has been no official statement from the U.S Central Command (CENTCOM), but the attacks come just one day before midterm elections in the country as President Donald Trump faces intense scrutiny over how he is handling the situation.

Trump Says No Rush

"We’re not in any hurry. We’re going to do something but we’re not doing it right away... Iran is crippled economically and their people are tired of this war." Trump said on Monday.

However, he added that he could strike Pickaxe Mountain, which houses Iran’s nuclear programme underground. This could be an "easy" and "fast" mission. Despite speculation that there may be more of an assault following the mid-terms, he said "no" when asked directly.

Iran Blames Washington

On Tuesday, Iran’s parliament speaker and lead negotiator with the U.S Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said it was up to Washington to stop the situation from escalating further. "We’ve got the ball in America’s court to avoid war. We’re ready for confrontation but we will give them a strong and sensible reaction," he said.

It was unclear what he meant by this reaction, however, following reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had called Trump over the weekend and encouraged him to carry out more strikes on Iran.

War Talks Continue

"Iran is currently engaged in very intense talks with the U.S to bring this war to an end through Qatari and Pakistani mediation. We are ready for any outcome. We encourage them to engage in talks rather than make the mistake of military aggression," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said.

Iranian negotiators are reported to have discussed a deal last week which would see the Strait of Hormuz opened again within two days, if the U.S agreed to seven terms, including removing its naval blockade of Iranian ports and unfreezing Iranian assets.

Strait of Hormuz

The strategic waterway sees roughly one fifth of global oil and gas shipped through usually, however it has been essentially shut down since the start of the war in February. Iranian missile and drone attacks on commercial ships, plus the U.S naval blockade has led to this.

An initial agreement was reached between the U.S and Iran in June to end the war and open the strait, however this deal fell apart within weeks due to further attacks on shipping and the U.S re-imposing its blockade. Iran has continued to insist they want some control over the strait, attacking vessels which travel through the southern route through Omani waters. The U.S military continue to escort oil tankers through the strait to ensure continued exports from Gulf Arab States.

Source: https://leadership.ng

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