US attacks Iranian targets in Strait of Hormuz hours before midterm elections

The United States has bombed Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz, hours before the start of the midterm elections and amid speculation about the resumption of the war against Iran. A US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said these were "defensive" attacks against radars and missile launchers that had fired at US positions in recent days.

The official Iranian agency IRNA reported five explosions on the island of Qeshm, the largest in the Gulf, which dominates the entrance to the strait and houses radars, missile launchers and military installations. In a statement, the Revolutionary Guard - Iran's elite body - said it had shot down two US reconnaissance drones south of the island, and a third east of the strait.

US officials told the Wall Street Journal that the bombings are part of a series of "limited actions" and they ruled out an immediate escalation. However, the attacks come amid growing speculation that Washington could launch a new offensive against Iran after this week's elections.

US President Donald Trump added fuel to the fire a few hours ago by warning that his country could attack "as soon as we want" Mount Pickaxe, in northern Iran, inside which an underground nuclear complex is supposedly located. Likewise, Trump also told Axios that he is in no hurry to decide whether to resume fighting and that there is a good chance of reaching an agreement with Tehran, since, according to him, the regime is eager to close a pact to reopen Hormuz and for the region to return to normal.

The same American media revealed that the director of the CIA, John Ratcliffe, advised Trump to maintain a status quo of "no war, no agreement" with Iran and let economic pressure do its work.

An Iranian military spokesman, Mohammad Akraminia, warned before the attack on Qeshm that any new aggression will be responded to immediately and "more forcefully and on a larger scale than in the past" and that in the case of resuming the war, "the geography of the conflict will not be limited to the West Asia region."

In an earlier statement, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei also called for retaliation "without geographical limits" to any threat from the United States or Israel. Tehran has been using its attacks in Hormuz for weeks as a pressure tool to get Trump to give up his blockade of the strait, hitting more ships than in March.

This Monday, the diplomatic advisor to the presidency of the United Arab Emirates, Anwar Gargash, warned countries in the region that they must be "prepared for the worst", given concerns that a resumption of the war would cause a new escalation of Iranian retaliation against Gulf countries.

Several Arab governments have warned Iran that they could respond if it attacks their infrastructure in retaliation for US bombings, the Wall Street Journal reported. Concern that a reactivation of the conflict could hit the economies of the countries in the region is of particular concern in Saudi Arabia.

In the midst of the campaign of crossed attacks, Riyadh announced today the interception of a drone in the city of Mecca. However, the Houthi militant group denies that it launched any attacks against Saudi territory today. Tensions between Riyadh and the Houthis have moved to Yemen, where forces allied with the government recognized by the United Nations have launched a counteroffensive, with clashes that have already left more than 1,500 dead and tens of thousands displaced.

Meanwhile, Qatari officials continue to exchange communications between Washington and Tehran for the fifth consecutive day, in a diplomatic push to reach an agreement that avoids another regional escalation. A Qatari delegation is meeting in Tehran with the Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, to discuss the progress of a possible pact. Araghchi assured that the indirect consultations with Washington are "very intense" given the seriousness of the situation. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry, Badr Abdelatty, also spoke today with his Oman counterpart, Badr Albusaidi, about efforts to reduce tensions in the region.