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US strikes Iran's Qeshm Island on the eve of the midterms, oil edges up in Asia
American officials called the raids at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz defensive. They came hours after Donald Trump said a deal with Tehran could still happen.
Key points
- US officials said the military carried out defensive strikes on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday night.
- Iranian state media reported five explosions in rapid succession on the island; no casualties have been reported.
- Brent crude turned higher in Asian trade after a 7% fall on Monday, a worry for oil-importing India.
The United States military struck Iran’s Qeshm Island, the largest island in the Strait of Hormuz, on Monday night, according to US officials, who described the raid as a defensive move to stop Iran attacking commercial shipping in the waterway.
Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported five explosions in rapid succession on the island, and residents said they saw two aircraft overhead. The semi-official Fars agency reported blasts at the mainland port of Bandar Lengeh, coming from the direction of the sea. Tehran had not issued an official statement by early Tuesday and no casualties have been reported, though an Iranian official was later reported by state media to have said that US forces attacked fishing boats off the island.
One US official said the targets were “Iranians using surface to air missiles against US assets”. Officials said Monday’s raid was the latest in a series of limited strikes kept quiet in recent weeks, so as not to signal a return to full-scale war. Washington has not announced them, and US Central Command did not respond to requests for comment.
The strike came on the eve of Tuesday’s US midterm elections, after Donald Trump had said there would be no attack on Iran before Americans voted. On Monday the President said a deal with Tehran “could happen” and played down the conflict. “We had a war with Iran. We won,” he said, adding: “I don’t know if you even call it a war because we haven’t been doing any fighting for months.” Asked whether he was weighing strikes after the elections, he replied “no”.
Qatari mediators have held two rounds of talks with Iranian officials on a framework under which Iran would stop attacks in Hormuz and the US would lift its naval blockade of Iranian oil tankers. A third US aircraft carrier is on its way to the region.
Why it matters for India
Oil, which had fallen more than 7% on Monday on hopes of a deal, turned higher in early Asian trade. Brent rose 0.5% to $105.25 a barrel before settling near $104.4 by about 8 am IST.
India buys most of its crude abroad, so any sign that the fighting could flare again feeds straight into fuel costs and the rupee, and traders on Dalal Street will be watching oil closely when markets open at 9:15 am.