US Attack on Qeshm Island Reported on Election Eve as Trump Plays Down Renewed Iran War

US forces attacked Iran's Qeshm Island on Monday, 2 November, US officials told The Wall Street Journal. The reported strike came a day before the midterm elections, as President Donald Trump played down the prospect of renewed large-scale war.

Washington and Tehran have been at war since 28 February. For weeks, Trump had raised the possibility of returning to all-out conflict after Tuesday's vote, while senior administration officials debated further airstrikes and other measures against Iran.

Officials described the assault as the latest in several weeks of smaller strikes that Washington had not publicly announced.

Qeshm Island Sits at the Mouth of Hormuz

Iran's state news agency IRNA reported several explosions on the island. Reports of explosions around Qeshm also circulated on social media on Monday.

Qeshm lies at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz, where US officials said the strikes were intended to prevent Iranian attacks on commercial shipping.

The island houses a large underground missile site, a naval base and a major desalination plant, according to the Journal. US forces had targeted Qeshm in earlier fighting, and officials had discussed seizing it.

Some US officials described the recent strikes as defensive operations intended to prevent Iran from attacking commercial ships in the strait. One official told the Journal that Washington was deliberately withholding details of the campaign to avoid signalling a return to major combat operations. This differed from earlier in the war, when Washington publicly announced its attacks.

Trump's Remarks Contrast With Qeshm Island Attack

'We had a war with Iran. We won,' Trump told reporters on Monday. 'I don't know if you even call it a war because we haven't been doing any fighting for months.'

Asked by reporters on Monday whether he was considering strikes against Iran after the midterms, Trump replied 'no.'

Both Trump and Vice President JD Vance suggested that negotiations to dismantle Iran's nuclear programme could succeed. Trump also attributed falling oil prices to expectations that renewed war would be avoided, writing on social media that 'people feel' there would not be renewed large-scale fighting.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, briefed Trump at the White House on Thursday, 29 October, about military options involving Iran. The US military had also deployed additional missile defences and munitions to the Middle East in preparation for possible further strikes.

Administration discussions included tightening economic sanctions and the US blockade on Iranian trade. Washington had also warned Gulf nations to prepare for a short, intense operation shortly after the election, the Journal reported.

Iran Sets Out Demands as Qeshm Island Strike Emerges

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei addressed the prospect of an agreement during comments to reporters in Tehran on Monday. He stated that 'the ball is in the U.S. court' on a deal to end the war.

He added, 'Our demands have been stated very clearly and transparently, and Iran's demands are reasonable and logical.'

Other Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, warned that Iran would retaliate within and beyond the Middle East if the US reignited the conflict, according to the Journal.