US strikes Iranian island in Strait of Hormuz before midterm vote

The US military has carried out strikes on an Iranian island in the Strait of Hormuz hours before polls opened in the US midterm elections. US officials briefed American media that the operation was limited and in self-defence, after Iranian forces fired at a US aircraft. Sky News reported that officials said major combat operations had not resumed.

Most channels identified the target as Qeshm Island, near the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz. BBC News reported that the island hosts an Iranian naval base and missile sites. ITV reported that sources said the strikes hit missile launchers on the island, which it named as Kisham. BBC News said the Pentagon had not officially confirmed the strikes or commented, and that Iranian state media had reported explosions.

The timing put the war in Iran, already a central issue in the election, back at the centre of the campaign's final hours. BBC News's Ione Wells said there had been heightened speculation that the conflict could escalate after the midterms. She noted that Trump had told Fox News the US might have to 'do something about Pickaxe Mountain', a site crucial to Iran's nuclear programme, and said it could be dealt with in an hour.

Sky News's David Blevins said the timing was extraordinary. He said the president may have wanted to demonstrate US military strength and that the strike pushed an unpopular war front and centre as Americans prepared to vote. He also pointed to a split inside the White House: Pete Hegseth, who calls himself Secretary of War, has called for more strikes, while Vice President JD Vance has argued for negotiations. Sky News later reported that Marc Short, a former chief of staff to Mike Pence, said he did not think the latest strikes were a political decision and expected further military action after the election.

Channel 4 reported that Trump authorised the raids. ITV reported that both Trump and Vance had suggested a peace deal with Iran was moving closer, a message that could appeal to voters unhappy about high energy prices caused by the war. BBC News said the strikes came amid indirect negotiations between the US and Iran.

The election will decide control of Congress. Sky News said all 435 House seats are being contested and that the Republicans' wafer-thin majority there would almost certainly go. Channel 5 described the vote as a major test of Trump's popularity and authority, with a Democratic majority in Congress potentially limiting his power in the second half of his presidency. The war has pushed up energy prices, a domestic concern that voters have raised on the campaign trail.