US breaks pledge, strikes Iran ahead of mid term elections
The United States has launched strikes on Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz, just hours before the country votes in the mid-term elections.
US officials told several American news outlets that the strikes were defensive in nature and meant to protect US assets in the region.
The officials added that the strikes were also in response to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) firing at a US aircraft.
The last confirmed US strikes on Iran were in September. Trump previously said attacks would not resume until after the mid-terms.
On Saturday, Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei instructed the country’s military to respond to any threats, without geographical restrictions.Khamenei also ordered an expansion of the list of potential American and Israeli targets.
At the time, Marco Rubio, US secretary of state, said Trump had yet to decide whether to launch new missiles on Iran but would prefer to resolve the conflict diplomatically. Trump has been facing plunging poll numbers and pressure from within his party to end the war, which began when the US and Israel attacked Iran in February.
Mohammad Ghalibaf, Iranian parliamentary speaker who is leading negotiations with the US, issued a fresh warning early Tuesday.
“The Iranian nation will not surrender to the enemy’s threats and military actions,” he said. Ghalibaf added that Iran’s military and strategic response “will be unpredictable”.
