image source, Reuters
The United States launched "defensive strikes" on the Iranian island of Qeshm, located in the Strait of Hormuz, US officials told CBS, the BBC's sister channel in the United States.
Iran's state news agency IRNA reported several explosions on the island on Monday.
US officials described the strikes as limited and said they were a response to shooting by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) at a US aircraft.
The BBC has contacted US Central Command (Centcom) – the branch of the US military responsible for operations in the Middle East – for comment.
These events occur shortly before the midterm elections in the United States, which will determine whether Congress remains under the control of Republicans or Democrats.
Trump faces a slide in the polls and pressure from within his own party to end the war, which began when the United States and Israel attacked Iran in February.
On Monday, Trump told reporters that he is in "no rush" to escalate attacks on Iran.
"One way or another, we will do something, but there is no rush. We have left them financially paralyzed," he told news outlet Axios. "They have no money, they have no gasoline and their population is increasingly tired of this situation."
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In an interview with Fox News, conducted on the eve of the midterm elections, Trump also noted that the United States "might have to attack 'Pickaxe!'" a facility linked to the Iranian nuclear program.
Trump added that this "is nothing serious" and that it could be done in "an hour."
Speculation has grown in recent days about the possibility that the United States will resume major attacks against Iran after the midterm elections. However, when asked by a reporter on Monday whether that was the case, Trump responded "no."
For his part, Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, told the IRNA agency that "very intense" talks are being held with the United States, through mediators, to try to end the war.
Likewise, he stated that Tehran is prepared—"more than ever"—for both diplomatic and military scenarios, and added that it is up to the United States to choose between the "sensible path" of negotiation or the "error of military aggression."
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