Escalation

Iran attacked US military bases in Kuwait on Thursday, despite President Donald Trump threatening further strikes in a fresh flare-up six months into the war. Trump said his military was prepared to attack Iran "any time we want" after extensive US bombardment of sites across the country left at least 19 Iranians dead.

Tehran retaliated by hitting US military targets across the Middle East, including in Kuwait, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region. Security chief Mohsen Rezaei warned the United States that Iran had adopted a "new strategy" in the war that "will shatter your foundations".

Wedding attack

The latest round of fighting began when Washington hit Iranian targets on Sunday, the first known strikes in several weeks, saying it was trying to stop Tehran placing sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian Red Crescent said shrapnel from a missile attack in the coastal town of Kuhestak killed four people, including a child, and wounded more than 50.

Iran's top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf lashed out at Washington over the wedding attack, calling the United States "Satan". The clashes deepen the ongoing impasse as Iran maintains a stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz oil export route and the US presses its counter-blockade of Iranian ports.