US strikes Iran before midterms

U.S. forces struck Iranian military targets on Monday, the day before the midterm elections.

A U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the strikes targeted surface-to-air missiles used by Iran against American forces in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state media reported explosions on the islands of Qeshm and Hengam and in the mainland area of Bandar Abbas. U.S. officials described the operations as defensive strikes.

This attack follows a pattern of recent, undisclosed airstrikes by U.S. forces in the Middle East. The strikes occurred despite President Donald Trump stating just weeks earlier that the United States would not launch attacks on Iran before the midterms. The timing coincides with a drop in Trump’s approval rating, which a Washington Post, ABC News, and Ipsos poll last month found to be 33 percent. In that survey, 65 percent of respondents said it was a mistake for Trump to start the war. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had pressed Trump for more strikes days before the Monday attacks.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi addressed the Qeshm Island attack on Tuesday. He accused the U.S. of ongoing aggression while affirming Tehran’s commitment to diplomatic negotiations through Qatari mediators. According to the semiofficial Tasnim News Agency, Gharibabadi said Iran retains the right to self-defense and is prepared for any scenario. The Pentagon, under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has withheld public information regarding these recent operations. The administration faces pressure as the war in Iran and rising gas prices continue to weigh on the Republican Party’s support.

During a telephone interview with Fox News host Brian Kilmeade, Trump revealed that the United States is providing Israel with $4 billion in aid. Trump said the funding would be cut off at the end of the year. He explained that he asked Netanyahu if the aid was necessary, and the Israeli leader responded that it would be appropriate to stop receiving it. Trump told Kilmeade that he has a 99 percent approval rating in Israel and joked that he would move there to become prime minister if Americans ever grew tired of him. These remarks came as the president’s domestic polling stood at 33 percent.