The US says it has conducted fresh strikes on Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz, with the announcement coming on the eve of crucial midterm elections.

Iranian state TV said explosions were heard on Qeshm Island, a key strategic outpost for Iran’s military in the Strait.

Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported that several explosions occurred in quick succession late on Monday. Witnesses told the agency that they had seen two aircraft flying over the island, which lies off Iran’s southern coast near the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency also reported explosions in the port city of Bandar Lengeh, saying they appeared to have come from offshore.

Speaking anonymously, a US official described the operation as “defensive strikes” targeting “Iranians using surface-to-air missiles against US assets”. They told the Associated Press the strikes represented a limited action rather than a return to full hostilities.

President Donald Trump, who has been occupied for several days with last-ditch efforts to drum up voters for Tuesday’s election, had previously said the US wouldn’t launch new strikes on Iran before the midterms.

One US official quoted by The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the strikes, said Washington had intentionally kept the operation low-profile to avoid giving the impression that it was resuming large-scale military operations.

Mr Trump also told reporters on Monday: “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.”

Earlier, Mr Trump indicated that a peace agreement with Tehran could be reached in the near future.

“Oil Prices are dropping like a rock, down almost $10 a Barrel, a record, because people feel that there will not be a War with Iran,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.

“Iran wants a settlement, as soon as possible. It could happen!”

Qeshm Island has been struck by US forces several times during the war. Situated at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, Qeshm Island hosts a large underground missile facility, a naval base and a major water desalination plant. US officials have previously discussed seizing the island.

On Monday, US vice president JD Vance had expressed optimism about negotiations with Iran, telling reporters: “We’ve had a number of good conversations with the Iranians.” He added: “The president and I both feel pretty good about the prospects for potentially coming to a negotiated settlement. We’re going to keep on working at it.”

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters on Monday that the ball was “in the US court” on any prospective deal to end the war.

“Our demands have been stated very clearly and transparently, and Iran’s demands are reasonable and logical.”

The Independent has reached out to US Centcom for comment.