The U.S.military carried out limited strikes Monday on Iran’s Qeshm Island, according to two U.S.
officials.The officials said the U.S.
attacks, which came on the eve of crucial U.S.midterm elections and as the Middle East is anxious about the possibility of a return to all-out war, were not a resumption of major combat operations in Iran.
They described the attacks as self-defense and in response to Iran’s ongoing efforts to target maritime shipping and U.S.assets.The U.S.
continues to intercept drones and missiles that are targeting shipping every day, one of the U.S.officials said.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has routinely targeted and shot at U.S.manned and unmanned aircraft over the Strait of Hormuz and in the area over the past few weeks, one of the U.S.
officials said.The U.S.
is occasionally striking Iranian missile launchers in self-defense when the IRGC shoots at U.S.aircraft, the official said.
Iran attempted to target a U.S.aircraft again, leading to the U.S.
strike on Qeshm to take out the launcher, the official said, calling this part of ongoing operations.“This was a defensive measure for Iranians using surface-to-air missiles against U.S.assets,” a third U.S.
official said.Iranian state media reported that five explosions were heard on Qeshm Island on Monday.President Donald Trump had previously said that the U.S.would not launch strikes on Iran before Tuesday’s midterms.
Trump gives midterms closing message from Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool01:15The unpopular Iran war and the resulting impact on U.S.gasoline prices and other parts of the economy have been a vulnerability for Republicans as they try to keep control of Congress.The administration was last known to have carried out some attacks in early September, but thousands of U.S.
troops remain in the waters off Iran to maintain a naval blockade aimed at preventing tankers carrying Iranian oil from getting to the global market.A third aircraft carrier and thousa...