Iran: US strikes the island of Qeshm in the Strait of Hormuz

“Iran harbours no hostility towards the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council”: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote this today on X, referring to the interview he gave to Al Jazeera in recent days, in which he expressed Tehran’s intention to reach regional security agreements that do not involve the military presence of foreign powers. “In my interview with Al Jazeera, I emphasised that Iran harbours no hostility towards the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council. We appreciate the positive role played by Qatar and Oman and are continuing our dialogue with Saudi Arabia,” the minister wrote. “Our aim is to establish new regional security agreements, defined by the countries of the region, without the military presence of foreign powers.”

Following the attacks on the island of Qeshm, in Iran, US President Donald Trump stated in an interview with Fox News that “we may have to strike Fordo (site of Iran’s main and most heavily guarded underground uranium enrichment facility, ed.), it’s no problem”. According to the tycoon, the United States can do so “within an hour and at any time they wish”. He added: “Iran is not in a good position to negotiate. This is not a war; it is a very minor conflict.” The United States struck the Iranian island of Qeshm, in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Wall Street Journal, just as Donald Trump had, shortly before, expressed optimism regarding negotiations with Tehran. The attack comes on the eve of the US mid-term elections.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are advising President Donald Trump to maintain the status quo with Iran – characterised by the absence of both war and agreements – with the aim of continuing the campaign of economic pressure rather than launching a new large-scale military attack. This is reported by Axios, which states that, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter, Ratcliffe explained to the tycoon how “prolonged economic hardship” could push Tehran towards further concessions or create such instability within the country as to provoke a popular uprising.

Yesterday afternoon, US President Donald Trump replied “No” when asked about a possible new attack on Iran. Trump himself made this clear by shaking his head when asked by an NBC News journalist whether he was considering a new attack on Iran following the mid-term elections. The exchange took place immediately after the President’s remarks this afternoon at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington DC.

President Donald Trump speaks at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

US forces attacked the Iranian island of Qeshm, in the Strait of Hormuz, last night. US officials told the Wall Street Journal this, after Iranian media had reported several explosions heard on the island. According to officials interviewed by the WSJ, last night’s raid is the latest in a series of limited attacks that Washington has been conducting covertly against Iran in recent weeks. Other officials interviewed by the US media went on to clarify that the raids, carried out on the eve of the US mid-term elections, do not signal a resumption of large-scale military operations against Iran. The sources described the attacks as measures of self-defence, in response to Iran’s attempts to target maritime traffic and US targets.