Tensions escalate - US strikes Iran again
The US military says it has carried out new attacks on Iran, as fighting between the two countries has resumed.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM), based in the Middle East, said on Tuesday that it had struck targets of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
"The attacks follow recent efforts by the IRGC to attack merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as US military service members deployed in the region," CENTCOM said.
Iran has previously responded to similar American attacks, so these strikes risk triggering a new cycle of fighting.
The semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim reported explosions in the south of the country, including in Konarak, Bandar Abbas and the island of Qeshm.
Tuesday's attacks come after an exchange of blows on Sunday, when the US military attacked the island of Larak in southern Iran, while Tehran responded by launching missiles at a base in Jordan where US troops are stationed.
Sunday's clashes marked the first attacks by either country since July. The administration of US President Donald Trump had said it was changing strategy, moving from military strikes to strong economic pressure on Iran.
The US has imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports, while threatening Tehran's trading partners with secondary sanctions.
However, Iran continues to claim control of the Strait of Hormuz – a major artery for global energy trade. In recent weeks, Trump and his advisers have said that the US is managing to ship millions of barrels of oil through the strait every day, despite the Iranian blockade.
However, attacks on ships in the area around the strait have been reported almost daily.
On Monday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said an oil tanker was hit by three "unknown projectiles" as it sailed through the Strait of Hormuz. /Telegraph/