US Launches Fresh Strikes as Iran Conflict Escalates

The United States launched another wave of military strikes on Iran, with President Donald Trump vowing retaliation following the deaths of three American service members in attacks Washington blamed on Tehran.

The operation marked the 10th consecutive night of US strikes targeting what the military described as Iranian capabilities that could threaten commercial shipping in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the strikes targeted military command centres, missile and drone launch sites, maritime assets and air defence systems to further degrade Iran's offensive capabilities.

Trump said Iran had been hit "very hard" during the latest operation, describing the strikes as retaliation for the deaths of three US troops killed in recent attacks in Jordan and Iraq.

Iran, however, said it responded by attacking two oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz and striking US military assets in Bahrain and Kuwait, according to state media.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared that the country was now engaged in a "full-scale war" with the United States.

Despite the escalating conflict, Iranian officials said indirect diplomatic contacts between Tehran and Washington were continuing through intermediaries following the collapse of an earlier ceasefire.

CENTCOM said commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remained operational despite the latest military exchanges.

Iranian authorities said rescue teams were evacuating the crews of two damaged oil tankers after the attacks.

Separately, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz had been struck by an unidentified projectile, forcing its crew to abandon the vessel. It was not immediately clear whether it was one of the two ships cited by Iranian authorities.

The US Department of Defense identified two of the three American service members killed in the attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan as Private Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Texas, and Lieutenant Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Hawaii. The Pentagon said the remains of the third service member were later recovered after initially being reported missing.

The conflict also spread beyond the Gulf.

Jordan said it intercepted three Iranian missiles after air raid sirens warned of incoming attacks, while Kuwait reported shooting down Iranian drones. Bahrain said Iranian drones targeted its air navigation systems, although air traffic operations were not disrupted.

Iranian media reported that several cities, including Tabriz, Chabahar, Konarak, Bandar Mahshahr and Bandar Imam Khomeini, were hit during overnight US strikes.

State media also reported explosions involving two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed the vessels were travelling through what it described as an "unsafe and hazardous" southern route and said they exploded before coming to a halt.

The US military rejected that claim, insisting its operations were directed exclusively at military targets and not commercial shipping.