U.S. has conducted defensive strikes on some Iranian targets in Strait of Hormuz: official ahead of midterm elections

The U.S. has conducted defensive strikes on some Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz, a U.S. official says.

Iranian state television reported that explosions were heard on Qeshm Island. The official, who wasn’t authorised to comment publicly and spoke on Monday (November 2, 2026) on condition of anonymity, said “Iranians using surface to air missiles against US assets” had been targeted.

The strikes, which appeared to be limited as opposed to a full return to hostilities, came on the eve of crucial American midterm elections. Mr. Trump has previously said the U.S. wouldn’t launch strikes on Iran before the midterms.

The unpopular Iran war and the resulting impact on U.S. gasoline prices and other parts of the economy have been a vulnerability for Republicans as they try to keep control of Congress.

Also Read: U.S. strikes Iran’s Qeshm Island: report

Vice-President J.D. Vance told reporters that he just spoke to Mr. Trump about talks with Iran and said that “the president and I both feel pretty good about the prospects for potentially coming to a negotiated settlement.”

Mr. Vance offered measured optimism on Monday (November 2, 2026) that a deal can still be struck to prevent President Donald Trump from following through on his threat to potentially order new strikes on Iran after the crucial midterm elections in the United States.

Mr. Vance sent a letter to Iran’s security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, last week, but the White House has offered scant details about the contents of that correspondence. Mr. Trump told reporters that letter was focused on assisting Iran with “medical supplies and various things.” But he suggested there’s reason to believe that the U.S. and Iran could still come to an agreement.

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“We’ve had a number of good conversations with the Iranians,” Mr. Vance told reporters when asked about the letter. “I actually just spoke with the president of the United States about an hour ago about this. Look, the president and I both feel pretty good about the prospects for potentially coming to a negotiated settlement. We’re going to keep on working at it.”

Mr. Vance’s comments came as the region remains on edge about the prospects of the U.S. resuming full-scale operations against Iran. The backchannel efforts are playing out as Israel and some West Asia allies lobby Mr. Trump on the way ahead in the 8-month-old war that’s rattled global markets and wreaked havoc on Iran.

Netanyahu pushed Trump for strikes in a weekend call

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing for another wave of strikes on Iran after Tuesday’s elections in the United States, according to two regional officials and a third person familiar with the matter.

A return to full-scale war with Iran could help Mr. Netanyahu to form an emergency government after he and his far-right allies lost their parliamentary majority in last week’s elections. Trump has alternated between threatening major strikes and pushing for a deal with Iran.

The two officials said diplomatic efforts have made progress, with Qatari mediators holding two rounds of talks last week with Iranian officials. The two officials said the 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 Iran’s ports.

They 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, officials.

Trump downplays scale of Iran conflict on Election Day eve

Mr. Netanyahu had pushed for renewed strikes even before the Israeli election as he sought to highlight his security credentials to a public deeply scarred by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack. But the war has also loomed large for American voters ahead of Tuesday’s midterm elections.

Oil prices dropped sharply on Monday (November 2, 2026) as renewed diplomatic efforts to end the war between the U.S. and Iran appeared to show signs of headway. Rising prices at the pump, a byproduct of the war, have been a weight on Trump’s Republican Party as it tries to maintain control of both chambers of Congress.

Mr. Trump noted the drop in a speech in Washington on Monday, which was billed as his closing argument to Americans, and sought to minimize the scale of the conflict, which has cost US taxpayers at least $47 billion.

“I don’t know if you even call it a war, because we haven’t been doing any fighting for months,” he said.

Mr. Netanyahu has not commented on Iran since the Israeli election, and there was no word from his office on the latest call with Mr. Trump.