US strike on Qeshm island described as a ‘defensive act,' in response to Iranian attack on US aircraft | LIVE BLOG

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- Iran and US ‘far from a deal’ to end war, Iranian official says; Tehran vows forceful response | LIVE BLOG

Iran and US ‘far from a deal’ to end war, Iranian official says; Tehran vows forceful response | LIVE BLOG

An Iranian official who spoke with Reuters said Tehran’s conditions must be met if Washington wants the Strait of Hormuz reopened, and that nuclear talks can begin afterwards

US President Donald Trump is leaning toward a large attack on Iranian infrastructure and nuclear sites after the US midterm elections but has not decided whether to proceed, people familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal. Governments including Qatar and the UAE have run security drills, including at airports and schools in Saudi Arabia’s capital will remain online. The mediators said the Qatar-led talks are stuck over whether the US or Iran should make concessions first, and that some Arab states have warned Tehran they could retaliate individually or collectively if their infrastructure is targeted.

Meanwhile in Israel, Israel's Central Elections Committee Chairman Noam Sohlberg turned down a Likud request on Monday for an urgent meeting of the committee’s presidium over an ongoing investigation. In a letter, the Supreme Court deputy president wrote that “no authority was granted to any party, however distinguished and exalted, not to publish the election results.” He said the presidium and plenum may only tally valid votes and calculate seat allocation, with no power to disqualify votes.

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Iran and US ‘far from a deal’ to end war, Iranian official says to Reuters; Tehran vows forceful response to any new strikes

A senior Iranian official said Iran and the US are far from reaching a deal to end the war, and that Tehran will not accept excessive US demands, according to Reuters.

The official said Tehran’s conditions must be met if Washington wants the Strait of Hormuz reopened, and that nuclear talks can begin afterwards.

Iran is prepared to respond forcefully to US strikes in the region and beyond, the official said.

Trump: US may have to hit Pickaxe, but “not a big deal”

President Donald Trump told Sean Hannity in an interview that the US “might have to” take action at Pickaxe, calling it “not a big deal.”

He said the US could do it “in one hour” at any time it wanted, and that Iran’s navy, air force and anti-aircraft defenses are gone.

Trump pointed out that Midnight Hammer “bombed out” all of Iran’s potential nuclear power, and that Iran has missiles and drones but little capacity to build more.

He also claimed Iran wants a deal “very badly” and that there is “a very good chance we make a deal,” while insisting the current situation “isn’t a war.”

US strikes on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, described as a ‘defensive act, after a missile was launched toward American aircraft’

The US has carried out smaller-scale strikes against Iran for several weeks without publicly announcing them, officials said.

The most recent strike was conducted after “Members of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) launched a missile from Qeshm Island toward an American aircraft in the Strait of Hormuz; in response, the Americans fired a surface-to-air missile in self-defense.”

Some officials described the strikes as defensive, meant to deny Iran the freedom to attack commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, and one official said the campaign was kept quiet to avoid signaling any intention of resuming major combat operations.