US President Donald Trump confirmed that the US military carried out an attack on Iran in the early hours of Tuesday morning (November 3, 2026), targeting an air defense facility whose construction was recently completed.
Trump said in an interview with Fox News that the operation was a "limited attack." The attack came hours before the US midterm elections.
Trump had stated in early October that he would refrain from launching attacks until the midterm elections were over.
Media reported earlier that there was an attack on targets on the Iranian island of Qeshm in the Strait of Hormuz, including a Revolutionary Guard site, after a missile was launched from the island towards an American plane, while it was not clear whether Trump was referring to the same attack.
Media reports recently spoke of plans in Washington to launch more attacks against Iran in cooperation with Israel after the midterm elections.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday that resuming fighting between the United States and the Islamic Republic would not be in anyone's interest, in light of diligent diplomatic efforts to avoid a new round of escalation in the Middle East.
“No one will benefit from this war,” Pezeshkian said during a government meeting, pointing to working to resolve the conflict “through dialogue.” He reiterated that the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Mojtaba Khamenei, granted the government powers to discuss “issues that he considered taboo,” without providing further details.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on the X website on Tuesday that his country is still continuing dialogue with Saudi Arabia with the aim of reaching new regional security arrangements that will be carried out by the countries of the region themselves, away from any foreign military presence.
Senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan met with Iranian officials in Tehran last week, in the first high-level contact between Iran and the three countries since August. The US-Israeli war on Iran broke out in late February, and the fighting later expanded to include Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
Riyadh stated that the visit was aimed at opening negotiating channels to "prevent the return of military escalation," especially in light of the intensification of fighting in recent weeks between Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni Houthi group allied with Iran.
The Houthi attacks on the Kingdom escalated in conjunction with their advance towards the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a vital waterway for shipping located opposite the Strait of Hormuz on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula.
A US official said that the United States carried out defensive strikes targeting some Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state television reported hearing explosions on Qeshm Island.
The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke Monday evening on condition of anonymity, said the strikes targeted “Iranians using surface-to-air missiles against American assets.”
The strikes, which appeared limited and did not amount to a full resumption of hostilities, came on the eve of the important US midterm elections. US President Donald Trump had previously said that the United States would not launch strikes on Iran before the midterm elections.
The unpopular war on Iran, and its resulting impact on fuel prices in the United States and other sectors of the economy, represented a weak point for Republicans in their efforts to maintain their control over Congress.
US Vice President J.D. Vance told reporters earlier Monday that he had just spoken with Trump about talks with Iran, adding that "the president and I feel very comfortable about the prospects for a negotiated settlement."
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi confirmed on Monday (November 2, 2026) that Tehran is engaged in intensive talks with the United States through Qatar and Pakistan, seeking to end the war and avoid a new round of escalation.
“Given the sensitivity and seriousness of the current situation, the consultations and talks are very intense,” Araqchi told the official news agency (IRNA), according to a video clip published by it, praising the “mediating and active role” of Doha and Islamabad in this field.
He added, "If the United States accepts our conditions, the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened and negotiations will resume."
The guide gives the government powers to negotiate
In a related context, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian confirmed that the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Mojtaba Khamenei, granted the government some powers to negotiate with the United States in an effort to end the war and avoid a new round of escalation.
"We are seeking to solve the problem through dialogue. In this regard, the Supreme Leader has granted the government some powers," Pezeshkian was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency.
The Supreme Leader has the final say in the supreme policies of the Islamic Republic. Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared in public since his election to succeed his father, Ali, who was assassinated in a strike on Tehran at the beginning of the war.
