US launches new attacks on Iranian targets days after Netanyahu presses Trump for new strikes

The United States has launched strikes against Iranian targets, a U.S. official said, in what appears to be a limited operation on the eve of Tuesday’s crucial midterm elections.

Iranian state media reported that explosions were heard on the islands of Qeshm and Hengam, in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, as well as in the neighboring mainland area of ​​Bandar Abbas. Unlike at the start of the war, the strikes were not publicly announced.

President Donald Trump previously said the United States would not launch strikes against Iran before the midterms. The unpopular war and its impact on U.S. gasoline prices and other parts of the economy have posed a vulnerability for his Republican Party as it tries to maintain control of Congress.

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A U.S. official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said Monday that the strikes targeted Iranians using surface-to-air missiles against the United States in the strait. The move comes as Iran said it had a two-day plan to reopen the critical waterway, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil supplies flowed in peacetime, and resume nuclear negotiations with the United States.

Vice President Vance revived hopes for a negotiated settlement

Behind-the-scenes negotiations are also taking place as Israel and some Mideast allies press Trump on the path forward in the more than eight-month-old war that has shaken the global economy and wreaked havoc in Iran.

Speaking before the US official confirmed the strikes, US Vice President JD Vance told reporters on Monday that he and Trump “both felt pretty good about the prospects of a possible negotiated settlement.”

The last known attacks by the Trump administration date back to the beginning of September. But thousands of U.S. troops remain in waters off Iran to maintain a naval blockade aimed at preventing tankers carrying Iranian oil from reaching the global market. Another aircraft carrier and thousands more troops are also on their way to the Middle East.

The region is nervous about the prospect of a resumption of large-scale US operations against Iran, and the new strikes are likely to reignite concerns.

Netanyahu pushed Trump for strikes in weekend phone call

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pushed for a new wave of strikes against Iran after the U.S. election, according to two regional officials and a third person familiar with the matter.

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 elections. Trump has alternated between threatening major strikes and pushing for a deal with Iran.

Both officials said diplomatic efforts had progressed and mediators were trying to propose a framework for Iran to cease its attacks in the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the United States lifting its blockade on Iranian ports.

They said further talks were planned this week. The two officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing classified briefings they received from U.S. and, in one case, Israeli officials. The third person, who was informed of the call, was not authorized to comment publicly and also spoke on condition of anonymity.

Iranians monitor US elections

Some in Tehran hoped the midterm elections would lead to a change in American policy.

“The American people need to make a fundamental decision and make real change. They need to end the leadership of someone who is so extremist and runs things with lies, someone who supports Israel, a country that literally kills children,” said Reza Rezaei, 69.

He said he hoped for changes that “will bring peace and stability, not only for Americans, but for the entire world.”

One woman was less optimistic.

“Who comes to power doesn’t really make a difference,” said Raheleh Movahhed, also from Tehran. “The American government and its policies have always had a problem with us. I’m not talking about the American people, mind you. I’m talking about their policies.”

Iran’s chief negotiator says it’s up to US to prevent renewed war

Iranian state television quoted the country’s chief negotiator and speaker of parliament, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, as saying Tuesday that Iran had “provided a firm and rational response to the American side. The ball is now in the United States’ court to prevent war.” It was not immediately clear which response he was referring to.

Qalibaf also warned that the Iranian armed forces remained at the highest level of defensive preparedness.

“If Washington makes another strategic miscalculation, it must know that this time it will face a new battlefield and find itself even more desperate than today,” he said.

Iranian authorities announce plans to train 1 million paramilitary volunteers
Iran opened its third military training center in Tehran on Monday as authorities announced plans to train 1 million paramilitary volunteers across the country, amid fears of a resumption of conflict.

Members of the Basij, a paramilitary force affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, attended the inauguration, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported.

“Starting this week, 1,500 training bases will start operating in all cities and towns across the country, and aim to train 1 million sacrificial volunteers,” said Ali Kowsari, deputy training director of the Basij.

Two similar centers had already opened in Tehran in August and September.

Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani and Cara Anna contributed to this report.