US strikes Iran's Qeshm Island hours after Vance says deal is near

The United States launched limited strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island late on Monday, according to US media reports. The strikes came hours after US Vice-President JD Vance said he was optimistic that diplomatic efforts to end the war were moving in the right direction. Iranian state media reported explosions on the island, which sits in the Strait of Hormuz. US officials described the strikes as "defensive" and said they were not a sign of a return to full hostilities. The timing is sensitive. The strikes came on the eve of crucial US midterm elections, in which Donald Trump's Republican Party is expected to face voter backlash over the war's impact on the cost of living in the US.