U.S. Carries Out Limited Strikes on Iranian Targets in Strait of Hormuz Ahead of Midterms

The U.S. military carried out limited strikes on Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, hours before Tuesday's U.S. midterm elections, according to U.S. officials. The operation appeared to be limited in scope. President Donald Trump has said for weeks that he was considering launching a new wave of strikes. Also on Monday, a Qatari delegation arrived in Tehran to meet Iran's foreign minister and continue talks on reopening the strait. Iranian officials said they would reopen the strait in two days as part of a deal with the United States, and spoke of some progress in negotiations even as they prepared for all-out war. What comes next was not clear from the initial reports.

Left-leaning outlets covered two sides of the day. CBS News led with the strikes, citing officials and offering a short report by Charlie D'Agata. The New York Times led instead with diplomacy: its headline put Iran's statement about reopening the strait in two days as part of a U.S. deal first, then noted the Qatari delegation's visit and Iran's preparations for all-out war. Right-leaning Newsmax resembled CBS in leading with the strikes, attributing them to a single U.S. official, calling them a limited operation, and stressing that they came on the eve of the midterms. Its excerpt did not mention the Qatari talks or Iran's offer. Both sides agree on the basic facts: limited strikes, Monday, Iranian targets in the strait. They differ in that the Times foregrounds negotiations, while Newsmax foregrounds the election timing. AP, in the alternative group, took a distinct angle, focusing on the questions the strikes raise about what is ahead and on Trump's weeks of talk about new strikes.