US strikes Iran on eve of midterm elections

The United States carried out attacks on Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. Iranian state television reported explosions on Qeshm Island, according to AP, which said the US had targeted "Iranians using surface-to-air missiles against American assets." The attacks appeared limited in scope — not a full resumption of hostilities — and came just before crucial US midterm elections. President Donald Trump had said the US would not strike Iran before the vote. According to The Wall Street Journal, this attack was the latest in a series of limited, covert strikes Washington has carried out against Iran in recent weeks, even as Trump expressed optimism about a diplomatic deal. The unpopular war with Iran and its effect on US gasoline prices and other parts of the economy have been a weakness for Republicans as they try to keep control of Congress. Vice President JD Vance told reporters Monday morning that he had just spoken with Trump about negotiations with Iran. Vance sent a letter to Iran's security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, last week, but the White House has released few details about its contents. "We've had several constructive conversations with the Iranians," Vance said when asked about the letter. "I actually just spoke with the president about this about an hour ago. Look, both the president and I feel quite optimistic about the prospects of reaching a negotiated deal. We're going to keep working on it." Vance's comments come as the region waits to see whether the US will resume large-scale operations against Iran. Back-channel efforts are underway as Israel and some Middle East allies press Trump on the way forward in the eight-month war, which has shaken global markets and devastated Iran. **Netanyahu pushes Trump** Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pressing for another wave of attacks on Iran after Tuesday's US elections, according to two regional officials and a third person familiar with the matter, AP reported. A return to full-scale war with Iran could help Netanyahu form an emergency government after he and his far-right allies lost their parliamentary majority in last week's Israeli elections. Trump has alternated between threatening large-scale attacks and pushing for a deal with Iran. Netanyahu pressed for strikes during a weekend call with Trump, who did not commit to military action, according to a person briefed on the matter. Other US allies in the Middle East warn against new attacks, saying they would destabilize the region and could lead Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen to intensify attacks on Saudi Arabia and Red Sea shipping, according to AP. Iran-backed militias in Iraq could also become involved. Netanyahu had pushed for renewed strikes even before Israel's elections, seeking to highlight his security credentials before a public deeply shaped by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack. But the war has also become highly relevant to American voters ahead of Tuesday's midterm elections. Oil prices fell sharply on Monday, apparently due to diplomatic efforts to end the US-Iran war. Rising gasoline prices, a result of the war, have weighed on Trump's Republican Party as it tries to hold both chambers of Congress.