US Strikes Iran's Qeshm Island Before Midterms, Amid Netanyahu's Attack Call

The United States launched a 'secret' attack on Iran's Qeshm, the largest island in the Strait of Hormuz, amid Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's call for fresh military action against Tehran after US midterm elections. Strikes, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, appeared to be limited and were not a resumption of major combat operations, a US official told news agency Reuters. 

According to US officials, the latest assault was defensive in nature to prevent Iran from having the freedom to attack commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, a key conduit for oil shipments that has been largely blocked since the war began in late February. 

Quoting US officials, the WSJ reported that the US has not publicly announced the attacks so as not to signal any intention of resuming major combat operations.

Iranian state media outlet IRNA, meanwhile, reported that five explosions were heard in rapid succession on the island and that some residents reported seeing two aircraft flying in its skies.

The Timing

The developments came amid reports claiming Israeli PM Netanyahu was pressing US President Donald Trump to consider fresh military action against Iran after the US midterm elections, even as the US leader has played down the possibility of a return to war, touting the possibility of a diplomatic deal. 

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

He also said that a deal with Tehran "could happen."

Oil prices, sent rocketing by Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz energy corridor, plunged by more than seven per cent on Monday on optimism over a possible end to the conflict.

US Attacks On Iran

Officials told WSJ that the US military has been engaged in smaller-scale strikes against Iran for several weeks. In one instance earlier this week, the official said Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired a surface-to-air missile at a US jet fighter, which fired back in self-defence. 

In a separate incident the same day, US forces reportedly intercepted an IRGC missile that originated out of Qeshm and was targeting commercial shipping.

Qeshm, located at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz, is home to a large underground missile site, naval base and a major desalination plant. The island has been a US target in earlier rounds of the fighting as well. 

What the US Said on Attack

The US Defence Department referred a request for comment to the US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees American forces in the Middle East. CENTCOM did not respond to requests for comment, even as WSJ reported that the agency has laid the groundwork for broader strikes, including moving more missile defences and munitions into the region in recent weeks. 

CENTCOM chief Admiral Brad Cooper reportedly visited the White House last week to brief Trump on the conflict, who reportedly toned down his rhetoric in the hours before the first in-person votes.