Trump blitzes Iran just hours before midterm election as ‘secret bombing campaign’ is revealed

Tap a highlight to see why it matters.2 findings

2 comments 2 Next THE US has blitzed a key island in the Strait of Hormuz hours before Tuesday’s midterm elections. Explosions rocked Qeshem, a large island off Iran on Monday, as Donald Trump played down the idea of resuming major blitzes on the country. Explosions have rocked Qeshem, a large island off Iran Credit: Getty Donald Trump played down the idea of resuming major blitzes on Iran on Monday Credit: Alamy Advertisement As blasts hit the island, Trump told reporters: “We had a war with Iran.

We won.” “I don’t know if you even call it a war because we haven’t been doing any fighting for months.” Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Email address Please provide a valid email. Your info will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy You'll now receive top stories, breaking news, and more, straight to your email. But officials told the Wall Street Journal the US has been engaged in smaller-scale hits against Iran for weeks.

The paper reported that Washington has carried our a series of secret strikes on Iran in recent weeks, while talking up the chance of a peace deal. Read more in world news IRAN MASSACRE My girl, 16, was shot by sniper & vigil raided by cops… Iran’s year of terror REGIME'S THREAT Iran’s Supreme Leader issues warning to US & vows response to any threats Monday’s strikes on Qeshem were just the latest in a string of similar assaults. Some officials, it said, called the secret strikes “defensive”, arguing that they were to block Iran from attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

The blitzes have been kept quiet, unlike earlier blasts in the war, to avoid suggesting that it is ready to relaunch major combat operations, one official reportedly said. After a speech yesterday evening, asked if he was mulling more strikes on Iran, Trump replied “no”, shaking his head. Advertisement Most read in The Sun CYBER CHOAS Cyber attack 'could wipe out UK's food supply & energy in 2yrs', warns spy boss SLAVERY TALKS Andy Burnham to discuss apology to countries affected by UK’s role in slavery THE SUN SAYS When it comes to Burnham's own travel, he’s a high-flying hypocrite Explosions had been reported on and around Qeshem hours earlier.

Sources told NewsNation that the US has bombed radar detectors and missile launchers “as a continuation of the strikes in Iran”. The strategic island hosts an underground missile site, a naval base and a sprawling desalination plant. It was blitzed five months ago during a testy ceasefire between the US and Iran. Around six blasts were said to have rocked the island on Monday, as the IRGC claimed it had “intercepted and warded off” a hostile fighter jet.

Advertisement Witnesses heard explosions and saw suspected projectiles light up the sky , with sources telling Iranian state media that air defence systems on the island had been activated. A US official said it was addressing threats to American forces in the region. 2 comments 2

Read the original article on thesun.co.uk

What we found (2)

The Sun reports US strikes on Qeshm island hours before the midterms. It names the US as the attacker and sets Trump's denials against the Wall Street Journal's reporting of secret strikes. Its headline puts 'secret bombing campaign' in quotation marks although nobody in the article says those words, and it lets US officials explain the strikes with no Iranian official response beyond an IRGC interception claim.

Headline goes beyond the article
Minor
“‘secret bombing campaign’”
Why this matters
The Sun puts 'secret bombing campaign' in quotation marks in its headline, as if a source used those words.
The impression it gives
A reader believes officials or the Wall Street Journal called the strikes a 'secret bombing campaign'.
The context
No one in the article uses that phrase. The body attributes 'a series of secret strikes' and 'smaller-scale hits' to the Wall Street Journal and its officials. The substance is close, but the quotation marks invent a quote.
How we know
- Elsewhere in the article“a series of secret strikes on Iran in recent weeks”
- Elsewhere in the article“engaged in smaller-scale hits against Iran for weeks”
Show it in the article
One side gets the space
Minor
“A US official said it was addressing threats to American forces in the region.”
Why this matters
The Sun closes on a US official's account of why the US struck, after earlier giving US officials room to call the strikes 'defensive'.
The impression it gives
A reader comes away with the US explanation of the strikes as the final word, with no Iranian government account of what was hit or why.
The context
The only Iranian voices are an IRGC claim about intercepting a jet and state media sources on air defences. No Iranian official responds to the strikes or to the US claim that they were defensive.
How we know
- Elsewhere in the article“arguing that they were to block Iran from attacking ships”
- Elsewhere in the article“intercepted and warded off”
Show it in the article

What it gets right

“THE US has blitzed a key island in the Strait of Hormuz”
The Sun names the US as the attacker in the active voice in its first line, so the later 'explosions rocked' phrasing does not hide who struck.
“But officials told the Wall Street Journal the US has been engaged in smaller-scale hits against Iran for weeks.”
The Sun sets Trump's claim that there has been no fighting for months directly against sourced reporting that contradicts it.
“Some officials, it said, called the secret strikes “defensive””
The Sun attributes the 'defensive' description to officials rather than adopting it in its own voice.

Spot something we missed? Report this article

More from The Sun

Everything we scored from The Sun

Trump blitzes Iran just hours before midterm election as ‘secret bombing campaign’ is revealed

Headline goes beyond the article

One side gets the space

What it gets right

More from The Sun