The United States has conducted defensive strikes on Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz, a US official has said on the eve of crucial midterm elections.
asserted
official → conduct → elections
Iranian state television reported that explosions were heard on Qeshm Island.
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explosions → report → Island
The official, who was not authorised to comment publicly and spoke on Monday (US time) on condition of anonymity, said, “Iranians using surface-to-air missiles against US assets” had been targeted.
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Iranians → authorise → assets
The strikes appeared to be limited as opposed to a return to full hostilities but followed President Donald Trump previously saying the US would not launch strikes on Iran before Tuesday’s midterms.
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US → appear → midterms
The strikes were reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal.
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strikes → report → Journal
The unpopular Iran war and the resulting impact on US oil prices and other parts of the economy have been a vulnerability for Republicans as they try to keep control of Congress.
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they → result → Congress
The administration was last known to have carried out attacks in early September, but thousands of US troops remain in the waters off Iran to maintain a naval blockade aimed at preventing tankers carrying Iranian oil from getting to the global market.
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thousands → know → market
Earlier, Vice President JD Vance offered measured optimism that a deal can still be struck to prevent Trump from following through on his threat to potentially order new strikes on Iran after the midterm elections.
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deal → offer → elections
Vance sent a letter to Iran’s security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, last week, but the White House has offered scant details about the contents.
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House → send → contents
Trump said the letter was focused on assisting Iran with “medical supplies and various things”.
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letter → say → supplies
But Vance suggested on Monday that there was reason to believe the US and Iran could still come to an agreement.
“We’ve had a number of good conversations with the Iranians,” he told reporters when asked about the letter.
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he → suggest → letter
“I actually just spoke with the president of the United States about an hour ago about this.
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I → speak → this
Look, the president and I both feel pretty good about the prospects for potentially coming to a negotiated settlement.
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president → look → settlement
We’re going to keep on working at it.”
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We → go → it
Vance’s comments came as the region remained on edge about the prospects of the US resuming full-scale operations against Iran.
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US → come → Iran
The back-channel efforts are playing out as Israel and some Middle East allies lobby Trump on the way ahead in the eight-month-old war that’s rattled global markets and wreaked havoc on Iran.
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that → play → Iran
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.
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Netanyahu → push → matter
A return to full-scale war with Iran could help Netanyahu to form an emergency government after he and his far-right allies lost their parliamentary majority in last week’s elections.
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he → help → elections
Trump has alternated between threatening major strikes and pushing for a deal with Iran.
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Trump → alternate → Iran
The two officials said diplomatic efforts have made progress, with Qatari mediators holding two rounds of talks last week with Iranian officials.
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mediators → say → officials
The two officials said the mediators were 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.
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US → say → ports
They said more talks were planned for this week.
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talks → say → 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.
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they → speak → officials
One official said Netanyahu was working with senior officials in the US administration to persuade Trump to launch a quick but extensive air campaign and that the president did not appear to have made a decision.
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president → say → decision
Netanyahu pressed for strikes during a call over the weekend with Trump, who would not commit to taking military action, according to a person who was briefed on the call.
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who → press → call
Other US allies in the Middle East are warning against more strikes, saying that would destabilise the region and could lead Iran-allied Houthi rebels in Yemen to step up their attacks on Saudi Arabia and Red Sea shipping, a third regional official said.
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official → warn → Arabia
Iran-backed militias in Iraq could also get involved.
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militias → back → Iraq
The Israeli government did not immediately comment.
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government → comment → ?
The White House did not directly respond to questions about Netanyahu and Trump’s discussion of potential new strikes during the weekend call.
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House → respond → call
Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman said he spoke by phone on Monday with US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth about “the latest regional and international developments” and the Houthis’ continued attacks on Saudi Arabia.
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he → say → Arabia
The war has loomed large for American voters ahead of the midterm elections.
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war → loom → elections
Trump sought to minimise the conflict, which has cost US taxpayers at least $US47 billion ($67.3 billion), during a speech in Washington on Monday that was billed as his closing argument to voters.
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that → seek → voters
“I don’t know if you even call it a war, because we haven’t been doing any fighting for months,” Trump said.
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Trump → know → months
Netanyahu has not commented on Iran since the Israeli election, and there was no word from his office on the latest call with Trump.
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Netanyahu → comment → Trump
Iran wants guarantees that the US will implement its side of any agreement.
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US → want → agreement
The US and Israel have twice attacked Iran while it was engaged in negotiations over its disputed nuclear program.
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it → attack → program
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, recently met with Iran’s military chiefs and said the response to “any kind and level of threat” from the US or Israel should be immediate and without “geographic limits”.
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response → meet → limits
He urged an expansion of the list of potential targets.
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He → urge → targets
A recent analysis by the Associated Press found that Iranian strikes on more than two dozen US bases since the start of the war have caused billions of dollars in equipment damage.
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strikes → find → damage
October saw the most attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz since March, as Iran has tried to increase economic pressure on the US to get it to lift its blockade.
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it → see → blockade
…and 4 more, not listed.
The Aporia
