The U.S. military has executed limited defensive strikes against Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz, according to three U.S. officials who confirmed the operation. A senior U.S. official stated that the strikes specifically targeted Iran’s Qeshm Island after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps opened fire on an American aircraft.
Coming on the eve of U.S. midterm elections, the military action unfolds against a complex backdrop of diplomatic maneuvers, ongoing conflict, and electoral pressure. President Trump has recently floated the possibility of restarting hostilities after the midterms, even as American and Qatari mediators actively broker negotiations aimed at securing a U.S.-Iran agreement.
Now entering its ninth month, the war has seen Mr. Trump’s public rhetoric swing between pursuing a settlement and threatening renewed sustained strikes. In a social media post earlier on Monday, the president suggested that a deal “could happen” and asserted that “Iran wants a settlement, as soon as possible.” However, during an evening appearance on with Sean Hannity, Mr. Trump struck a different tone, declaring that the U.S. “still have to take care of” several sites inside Iran, including Pickaxe Mountain, which houses a suspected nuclear facility. He remarked that the action would be “not a big deal” and could be completed in “an hour.”
International pressure has also been a factor. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Mr. Trump during a weekend telephone call to launch further sustained strikes against Iran, according to reports. Mr. Trump acknowledged the conversation, describing it as a “very good talk with him,” though he declined to elaborate on the specifics of their discussion.
The broader conflict continues to exert a heavy toll on domestic politics in both nations. In the United States, rising economic costs and inflation driven by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have severely damaged public support for Mr. Trump and the Republican Party ahead of the midterms. Meanwhile, in Israel, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s party lost its parliamentary majority in the country’s first legislative elections since October 7, 2023.
Financial disclosures from U.S. Central Command, provided to lawmakers and obtained by media, show that the war had cost the U.S. military at least $47.1 billion as of mid-October. CENTCOM estimates that replacing spent munitions alone accounts for approximately $29 billion. An additional $6.1 billion is required to replace lost military equipment, while incremental expenses, including support for American service members, total roughly $11.9 billion. Notably, these figures exclude the cost of repairing damage inflicted on U.S. military bases across the Middle East by recurring Iranian drone and missile attacks.
