US strikes Iranian targets in Strait of Hormuz: official

The United States launched strikes on Iranian targets a US official said in what appeared to be a limited operation on the eve of Tuesdays crucial midterm electionsIranian state media reported explosions being heard on the islands of Qeshm and Hengam in the strategic Strait of Hormuz and in the nearby mainland area of Bandar Abbas Unlike earlier in the war the strikes were not publicly announcedPresident Donald Trump previously said the US wouldnt launch strikes on Iran before the midterms The unpopular war and the resulting impact on US gasoline prices and other parts of the economy have been a vulnerability for his Republican Party as it tries to keep control of CongressA US official who wasnt authorised to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity said Monday that the strikes targeted Iranians using surfacetoair missiles against the US in the straitThe move came as Iran said it had a twoday plan to reopen the critical waterway through which about a fifth of the worlds oil supply flowed during peacetime and resume nuclear talks with the United StatesBackchannel negotiations have also been playing out as Israel and some Middle East allies lobby Trump on the way ahead in the more than 8monthold war thats rattled the global economy and wreaked havoc on IranSpeaking before the US official confirmed strikes US Vice President JD Vance told reporters Monday that he and Trump both feel pretty good about the prospects for potentially coming to a negotiated settlementThe Trump administration was last known to have carried out attacks in early September But thousands of US troops remain in the waters off Iran to maintain a naval blockade aimed at preventing tankers carrying Iranian oil from reaching the global market Another aircraft carrier and thousands of additional troops are also on their way to the Middle EastThe region is on edge about the prospects of the US resuming fullscale operations against Iran and the new strikes are likely to renew concernsIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pushed for another wave of strikes on Iran after the US elections according to two regional officials and a third person familiar with the matterA return to fullscale war with Iran could help Netanyahu form an emergency government after he and his farright allies lost their parliamentary majority in last weeks elections Trump has alternated between threatening major strikes and pushing for a deal with IranThe two officials said diplomatic efforts have made progress and that mediators are trying to advance a framework for Iran to cease its attacks in the Strait of Hormuz in return for the US lifting its blockade on Irans portsThey said more talks are planned for this week The two officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing classified briefings they had received from American and in one case Israeli officialsThe third person who was briefed on the call was not authorized to comment publicly and also spoke on the condition of anonymitySome people in Tehran were hopeful that the midterm elections would bring a shift in US policiesThe American people need to make a fundamental decision and bring about real change They need to put an end to the leadership of someone who is so extreme and who runs things through lies someone who supports Israel a country that is literally killing children said 69yearold Reza RezaeiHe said he hopes for changes that will bring about peace and stability not just for Americans but for the whole worldIt doesnt really make much difference who comes into power said Raheleh Movahhed also of Tehran The American government and its policies have always had a problem with us Im not talking about the American people mind you Im talking about their policiesIranian state television quoted the countrys chief negotiator and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf as saying on Tuesday that Iran had delivered a firm and rational response to the American side The ball is now inAmericas court to prevent war It was not immediately clear what response he was referring toGhalibaf also warned that Irans armed forces remained at the highest level of defensive readinessIf Washington makes another strategic miscalculation it should know that this time it will face a new battlefield and will find itself even more desperate than it is today he saidIran opened its third military training centre in Tehran on Monday as authorities announced plans to train 1 million paramilitary volunteers nationwide amid fears of renewed conflictMembers of the Basij a paramilitary force affiliated with Irans Revolutionary Guard attended the inauguration the semiofficial ISNA news agency reportedStarting this week across the country 1500 training bases will start working in all cities and towns and will aim for training 1 million sacrificial volunteers said Ali Kowsari the Basijs deputy head for trainingTwo similar centres previously opened in Tehran in August and SeptemberThis story has been 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