The United States launched a fresh wave of airstrikes against Iranian military targets on Sunday, with Iranian state media reporting that one person was killed and four others injured, as Tehran responded by targeting US military bases across the Middle East in a sharp escalation of the conflict.
The latest exchange of attacks has further undermined an interim US-Iran agreement signed in June and intensified uncertainty over the status of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important oil shipping routes.
According to the US Central Command (Centcom), the latest operation began at 17:00 ET (22:00 BST) on Sunday and targeted dozens of Iranian military installations.
The strikes hit air-defence systems, coastal radar sites, missile facilities and drone capabilities.
US forces were "prepared to ensure that freedom of navigation remains available to commercial shipping despite Iran's continued unwarranted aggression, harassment, threats, and arbitrary declarations," Centcom said in a statement.
Minutes before Centcom confirmed the strikes, Iranian state television reported explosions in Sirik, Qeshm, Bandar Abbas and Jask.
Iran's official news agency IRNA later reported casualties in Khuzestan Province.
"Following the attack of the American enemy on Monday morning... one person was martyred and four others were injured," IRNA quoted Khuzestan Deputy Governor for Security and Law Enforcement Valiollah Hayati as saying.
Within hours, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced retaliatory strikes on US military bases in Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain, widening the regional confrontation.
The latest attacks came a day after Centcom said US forces had struck 140 Iranian military targets, prompting what Iran described as a broader military response against US positions and allies across the region.
Among those reportedly targeted were Qatar, which has played a key role in ceasefire mediation, and the United Arab Emirates.
The renewed fighting has cast fresh doubt over the future of the interim ceasefire agreement reached last month, which aimed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and create conditions for a permanent end to hostilities.
The strategic waterway remains at the centre of the dispute.
Iran maintains that it has closed the Strait of Hormuz until further notice following earlier US and Israeli attacks, while the United States insists the route remains open and says it is prepared to guarantee freedom of navigation for commercial vessels.
The conflict has already rattled global energy markets with Brent crude rising 4.3% to $79.26 a barrel, while US-traded West Texas Intermediate climbed 4.3% to $74.50, reflecting growing fears that prolonged fighting around the Strait of Hormuz—through which about 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies normally pass—could disrupt global energy supplies.
Despite the latest escalation, US President Donald Trump said diplomatic efforts to revive negotiations were continuing, even as both Washington and Tehran accused each other of violating the interim agreement.