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The United States launched limited strikes on an Iranian island in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, while five explosions were reported in quick succession on the island.
The reported strikes came as US voters prepared to cast their ballots in midterm elections that could threaten President Donald Trump’s grip on power.
The strikes targeted Qeshm Island, strategically located in the Strait of Hormuz, a key flashpoint in the Middle East war that has disrupted global markets.
US officials described the attacks as defensive in nature. The strikes were the latest in a series of undeclared attacks.
They were not publicly announced to avoid creating the impression that Washington intended to resume major combat operations. US Central Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The United States and Israel launched their war against Iran with a massive wave of strikes in late February. The conflict has remained largely stalemated for months.
Asked whether Israel was involved in the latest strikes, an Israeli military spokesperson said: “No”.
Israel also held an election last week, in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s party emerged as the largest, but fell short of securing a majority.
The attack came just hours after Trump signalled that a deal with Iran “could happen”, as American voters prepared to cast their ballots in midterm elections dominated by public dissatisfaction with the war and the inflation it has fuelled.
“Iran wants a settlement, as soon as possible,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
Five explosions were heard in quick succession on Qeshm Island, while some residents reported seeing two aircraft flying over the island.
The cause of the explosions remained unclear.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said indirect negotiations with the United States were under way.
“Given the sensitivity and gravity of the current situation, consultations and deliberations are very intensive,” Araghchi said.
On Tuesday, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Tehran’s chief negotiator in talks with Washington, said Iran was prepared for war but had given the United States a “rational response”.
“The ball is now in America’s court to prevent war,” he said.
Oil prices plunged by more than seven per cent on Monday amid optimism over a possible end to the eight-month-old conflict.
US Vice President JD Vance said he and Trump were optimistic about reaching an agreement with Iran.
“We’ve certainly made some progress. We’ll see if we can make some more,” Vance told reporters on Monday.
China also called for a return to diplomacy, while Iran’s security chief discussed the conflict with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Last week, Vance sent a letter to Iranian national security chief Mohsen Rezaei about possible new talks, marking the highest-level move in months.
Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said messages received from Washington amounted to “an acknowledgement of our victory”.
A senior Iranian official said Tehran was ready to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil and gas supplies, within two days, provided Washington agreed to its longstanding list of demands.
In September, Iran proposed a seven-day plan to reopen the strait. Its demands included ending the war on all fronts, unfreezing Iranian assets, lifting oil sanctions and ending the US counter-blockade of Iranian ports.
“The possibility of implementing this plan in two days is another indication of Iran’s good-faith approach,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said.
China held meetings with Iranian and Saudi officials in Beijing on Monday.
Beijing supports Tehran in “safeguarding its own sovereignty and security”, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Ali Bagheri, deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
In an interview released on Sunday, Araghchi said Washington must accept a new route agreed between Iran and Oman for vessels transiting the strait.
He also said the United States must lift recently imposed sanctions and reduce its troop presence in the region.
Trump has continued to threaten Tehran, saying on Sunday that the United States might have to give Iran “the hammer” at an unspecified time.
On Saturday, the US president said he still had to “take care” of one or two targets, including the so-called Pickaxe Mountain in central Iran, a suspected nuclear site that Tehran denies is a nuclear facility.
Iranian officials have repeatedly warned of sweeping retaliation if the United States resumes the war.
Authorities in Tehran installed a huge banner in the heart of the capital on Tuesday.
Displayed over a photograph of the US president, it reads: “We will kill Trump”.