US launches fresh strikes against Iran, Gulf states under attack

The US military has launched strikes on Iran after it struck a container ship on Sunday, while Tehran said it had closed the Strait of Hormuz again and some Gulf states announced they are under attack.

Iran said it closed the Strait after firing a warning shot that struck a vessel traveling on an unapproved route. It warned that any retaliation over the incident would be met with a "severe response."

US Central Command, however, said commercial vessels continue to transit through the waterway that carried one-fifth of the world's oil and LNG shipments before the war.

A series of attacks between the US and Iran over the past several days led President Donald Trump to declare the end of a ceasefire meant to halt the fighting that the US and Israel began on February 28, though Trump has left the door open to continued negotiations.

Central Command said US forces hit 140 Iranian military targets on Saturday, out of more than 300 during three nights of strikes "to degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial vessels freely transiting the Strait."

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre said the crew of a container ship damaged east of Oman had abandoned the vessel and were in a lifeboat.

Iranian state media reported explosions in several port cities.

The UAE said its air defence systems were engaging missiles and drones from Iran, and Kuwaiti forces stated they were intercepting attacks inside its airspace.

Qatar also announced it had intercepted a missile attack while warning sirens sounded in Bahrain, and explosions were heard in Doha.

Meanwhile, Jordan's army forces stated that three Iranian missiles fell into the country, with no casualties reported. 

A security source in Oman has also reported that various sites within the Musandam Governorate were targeted by drones.

The war has destabilised the Gulf, while Iran's effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has caused energy prices to surge, fuelling global inflation and raising fears of an economic slowdown.

Higher prices, especially for gasoline, are a politically sensitive issue for Trump ahead of the November congressional elections.

Iran said several ships attempted to move through the waterway on an "unauthorised route" and disregarded warnings to correct their course.

The Strait, which was a conduit before the war for one-fifth of the world's oil and LNG supplies, will remain closed until "the end of US interference in this region," the Revolutionary Guards said.

Central Command said it began its strikes at 7:15 pm ET (2315 GMT) on Saturday, roughly an hour after the Iranians released their statement, which included a warning that "new enemy bases" in the Middle East would be targeted if the United States retaliated for the container ship incident.

They later stated that they hit approximately 140 Iranian military targets with precision munitions launched by land- and sea-based fighter aircraft and naval vessels. 

Trump ordered the strikes, Central Command said. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Washington demands that Tehran publicly state it will stop attacks on ships in the Strait, and that all lanes will be open without tolls, senior US officials have said.