US Hits Iran's Qeshm Island in Limited Strikes Before Midterms

Voters heading to the polls face fresh uncertainty over energy costs and regional stability after the United States struck targets on Iran's Qeshm Island. American officials described the operation as a narrow defensive response to Iranian preparations for missile attacks on US assets and to prior incidents involving an American drone and fighter jets over the Strait of Hormuz. The action occurred on the eve of midterm elections and followed a pattern of small-scale strikes over recent weeks that have remained largely unacknowledged by either government. Officials said the latest strike responded to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps downing a US drone and firing on two US jets, though they provided no independent confirmation of those events or of damage inflicted. The strikes mark the first US bombing inside Iran since early September operations that destroyed five Iranian oil carriers after Iran launched missiles at US warships. President Trump stated on social media and in a Fox News interview that no war exists with Iran and that a deal remains possible, while Vice President JD Vance noted progress in talks. These public remarks contrast with earlier indications that Trump was weighing further strikes after the elections. No casualty figures, Iranian statements, or third-party verification such as satellite imagery have been released. The Wall Street Journal first reported the Qeshm Island action. Fuel markets reacted to the timing near the Strait of Hormuz, which carries roughly one-fifth of global oil trade, though the scale of any price impact remains unclear from available data.