US launches attack on Iranian island a few hours from the election

Othe United States attacked the Iranian island of Qeshm in the Persian Gulf this Monday in a new military operation against Iran on the eve of the mid-term legislative elections, but Donald Trump minimized the risk of a resumption of war.

According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), US officials described the attacks as defensive operations aimed at limiting Iran's ability to threaten commercial maritime traffic in the Ormuz Strait.

The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) did not publicly announce the operations. However, U.S. officials cited by several media outlets in the country indicated that the attack was a response to the slaughter of an American military aircraft in the region.

Qeshm, located at the entrance to the Strait of Ormuz, houses an underground missile facility, a naval base and an important desalination station.

The Pentagon has reinforced the military presence in the region in recent weeks and has prepared several options for possible expansion of the attacks, according to the WSJ.

The US President said on Monday that the United States “had already won the war against Iran” and minimized the importance of a possible resumption of fighting.

“ I don’t know if you can even call this a war, because we haven’t fought for months,” he told journalists in Washington.

Asked whether he is considering further attacks after today's legislative elections, he replied that he did not, although officials have indicated that the President continues to evaluate different options.

“ Oil prices are falling like stones (...), because people feel that there will be no war with Iran. Iran wants a deal as soon as possible. This could happen!”, wrote Donald Trump on the network that belongs to him, Truth Social, after having said on Sunday that he was ready to give a “sledge” in Iran.

Also Vice President of the United States, JD Vance, stated on Monday that Trump and he were feeling “very optimistic” about a negotiated agreement to end the war with Iran.

Statements in paragraphs 1 and 2 of the White House were released on the same day that two leaders of the region and a third person familiar with the matter told the Associated Press news agency that Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is pressing the United States for a new wave of attacks on Iran following the mid-term elections in the United States.

On Monday, the head of Iranian diplomacy, Abbas Araghchi, noted that “very intense” discussions with the United States were taking place through mediators in an attempt to prevent the resumption of hostilities.

“ In view of the sensitivity and severity of the current situation, consultations and deliberations are very intense,” Araghchi told the Iranian agency IRNA, highlighting Qatar and Pakistan’s “very active mediating paper” in the negotiations.

Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, finally made known on Monday through Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who empowered the Iranian Government in its efforts to end the war with the United States.

“ We are striving to solve the problem through dialogue. In this regard, the supreme leader conferred certain powers on the government,” Pezeshkian announced, quoted by the Iranian state agency IRNA.