US strikes targets across Iran as oil prices surge

Indirect negotiations to reach a deal between the US and Iran are still on track despite the latest exchange of fire between the sides, CNN has reported, citing a diplomatic source.

AFP reported later that an unnamed diplomat told it that “the Qatari delegation departed from Tehran this morning following talks with Iranian officials… that lasted into the early hours of this morning.” The discussions were “conducted in coordination with the US,” according to the source.

A giant banner depicting the Strait of Hormuz displayed at Vali-e Asr Square in Tehran. © Getty Images / Fatemeh Bahrami

At least three people have been wounded in the province of Tehran by “brutal” US airstrikes overnight, the head of the local emergency services, Mohammad Esmail Tavakoli, has told Fars news agency.

The province is located in the north and hosts the Iranian capital. According to the Iranian military, the latest American bombardment mainly focused on the southern part of the country, but areas around the capital were also hit.

Three Indian seafarers reported missing after a US strike on an oil tanker off the coast of Oman have been confirmed dead, New Delhi’s shipping minister, Sarbananda Sonowal, has said. Their bodies have been located and identified, he added.

“This is a profound loss to our maritime community,” the minister wrote in a post on X.

The Palau-flagged vessel, the Settebello, had 28 crew members aboard, including 24 Indian nationals, two Pakistanis, a Ukrainian, and a Russian, when it was hit on Wednesday.

US Central Command earlier confirmed carrying out a “precision” strike on the tanker, which it claimed was transporting Iranian oil in violation of the American blockade.

The Iran war subjects millions to the threat of hunger, World Food Programme (WFP) acting Executive Director Carl Skau told CNN.

“In many places, we’re already taking from the hungry to give to the starving,” he said.

Kuwait International Airport has returned to normal operations after a temporary suspension of flights caused by the exchange of fire between the US and Iran, the Gulf state’s civil aviation authority has announced.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has said in a statement that it struck 18 US-linked military targets across the Middle East in response to “ceasefire violations and attacks on parts of southern Iran” by the US.

American F-15s, F-16s, and F-35s were hit with missiles at the Al-Azraq airbase in Jordan as they were preparing for launch, the IRGC claimed. Some of the aircraft have been destroyed, it added.

Two airbases in Kuwait and one in Bahrain were also struck, according to the statement.

Iranian drones have also attacked the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, it said.

Oil prices rose in early trading after the US launched airstrikes against Iran and Tehran announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz for all commercial vessels.

Benchmark Brent crude futures went up by 2.5% to $95.40 per barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) jumped nearly 3% to $92.63.

FILE PHOTO: A gas pump wrapped in caution tape at a USA Gasoline station in Los Angeles. © Getty Images / Justin Sullivan

Majid Mousavi, commander of the aerospace forces of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), threatened to turn the entire region into “hell” for the US.

“You are making the holy Strait of Hormuz unsafe? We will turn the entire region into hell from within Iran. This is the response to America’s aggression in the region,” he said, according to Mehr News Agency.

A video reportedly shows impacts at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.

Interceptors were activated in Jordan and Kuwait after Iran vowed to strike US bases in the region.