US strikes Iran's Qeshm Island ahead of midterm elections
The United States has carried out strikes against Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz, a US official said on Monday.The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the operation as defensive strikes targeting "Iranians using surface-to-air missiles against US asset".Meanwhile, Iranian media reported five explosions on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz.Just hours before, US President Donald Trump signalled progress in negotiations with Tehran."Iran wants a settlement, as soon as possible.
Left out here: Leaves out what changes the picture
The article never says that the Wall Street Journal, the source of the first report, called the Qeshm strike the latest in a series of limited US strikes carried out in secret over recent weeks, kept quiet so as not to signal a return to full-scale war. Without it, a reader takes the anonymous official's 'defensive strikes' as the account of a single response to a missile launch, not one more in an ongoing covert campaign.
How we know
- France 24 (English) reported“the latest of a series of limited strikes Washington has secretly carried out against Iran in recent weeks”US strikes Iran's Qeshm Island as Trump signals progress in talks (opens in a new tab)
- The National reported“strikes have been carried out on a smaller scale and purposefully kept secret so as not to signal any intent of resuming its major military campaign”US strikes Iran's Qeshm Island, reports say (opens in a new tab)
It could happen!," Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.Vice President JD Vance told reporters that both he and Trump felt optimistic about "the prospects for potentially coming to a negotiated settlement".Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Monday that indirect talks with the United States were taking place via mediators."Given the sensitivity and gravity of the current situation, consultations and deliberations are very intensive," Araghchi told state media."Qatar and Pakistan are playing a very active mediating role in these negotiations."
The strikes come on the eve of midterm elections, in which the Republican party is pushing to retain control of Congress.However, Washington's war in Iran has been a growing point of political contention and a contributing factor to Trump's declining approval ratings, as American's increasingly disapprove of the conflict, particularly over its economic consquences.Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman that normally carries around a fifth of the world's oil, has been heavily disrupted since the war began in late February.
Left out here: Leaves out what changes the picture
The article ties the strikes to the midterm elections in its headline but never says Trump had stated the US would not launch new strikes on Iran before the midterms. A reader does not learn that the strike went against his own public pledge.
How we know
- Daily Express reported“Donald Trump previously said the U.S. would not launch new strikes on Iran before today's midterms.”US launches strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island ahead of midterm elections (opens in a new tab)
- Daily Mirror reported“Donald Trump previously said the U.S. would not launch new strikes on Iran before today's midterms.”US strikes Iran's Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz ahead of midterm elections (opens in a new tab)