The U.S. military has launched limited defensive strikes against Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz, three U.S. officials confirmed to CBS News.
A senior U.S. official said the attack targeted Iran’s Qeshm Island after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps opened fire on a U.S. aircraft.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the strike on Monday.
The attack came just before Election Day, as President Trump proposed resuming hostilities with Iran after the midterm elections and as U.S. and Qatari mediators negotiated a U.S.-Iran deal.
As the war enters its ninth month, Trump’s rhetoric continues to swing back and forth between reaching a deal and launching another sustained strike against Iran.
The president said in a Truth Society post earlier Monday that a deal “could happen” and that “Iran wants a resolution as soon as possible.” Later that night, Trump said on Fox News that “we still have to take care” of several sites in Iran, including Mount Ho, where a suspected nuclear facility is located. During an appearance on Sean Hannity’s show, Trump said it was “no big deal” and could be done “in an hour.”
According to the Associated Press, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed for further sustained strikes against Iran during a weekend phone call with Trump. Trump acknowledged the call and said he had a “very good conversation with Netanyahu,” but did not elaborate on what he and Netanyahu discussed.
The war loomed large in both the U.S. midterm elections and the Israeli Knesset elections. In the United States, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has led to rising costs and a sharp decline in support for Trump and the Republican Party.
In Israel, Netanyahu’s party lost its majority in the first parliamentary elections since October 7, 2023.
The war with Iran has cost the U.S. military at least $47.1 billion as of mid-October, according to the latest estimates from U.S. Central Command obtained by CBS News.
Central Command said the cost of replacing spent munitions alone would be about $29 billion, according to the latest estimates provided to lawmakers. An additional $6.1 billion is needed to replace lost equipment, and about $11.9 billion is for incremental costs, such as support for U.S. military personnel.
The estimate does not include the cost of damage to U.S. military bases in the Middle East, many of which have been targeted by Iranian drones and missiles.