Iran escalates attacks across the Gulf after more US strikes

• Renewed strikes and counterstrikes between Iran and the United States in the Gulf region have raised fears of a return to all‑out war.

• The US said it had struck around 140 targets in response to the Iranian military striking a vessel which was navigating through the international waterway.

• Tehran reportedly launched a series of attacks targeting a US base in Jordan, while the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait said they had come under attack by missiles and drones from Iran.

• The uptick in fighting and end to the fragile ceasefire negotiated in June have seen energy prices rise while shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has once again ground to a halt.

• The strait, a key route for the global supply of oil and natural gas and long considered an international waterway, has become the key sticking point in negotiations that seem in danger of collapse.

• This leaves around 6,000 seafarers still stranded aboard scores of vessels. 

• The head of the UN International Maritime Organisation (IMO) called for all transit through the strait to be avoided, saying earlier this week that this should continue “until the necessary safety conditions are in place”.