Iran targets Bahrain and Jordan in retaliation as US strikes continue

Smoke rises after a drone was intercepted in the early hours of Tuesday in Manama, Bahrain. Photograph: Reuters View image in fullscreen Smoke rises after a drone was intercepted in the early hours of Tuesday in Manama, Bahrain. Photograph: Reuters Iran targets Bahrain and Jordan in retaliation as US strikes continue US hits targets in port cities of Bushehr and Bandar Abbas while Iran attacks two tankers in strait of Hormuz Middle East crisis live – latest updates The US launched strikes on Iran for a third day and Iran retaliated with strikes on US allies and tankers, hours after Donald Trump said the US would take control of the strait of Hormuz and charge a toll to ships for safe passage. The US military said its five-hour operation early on Tuesday hit targets across Iran, including the port cities of Bushehr and Bandar Abbas. It shared videos of strikes that it said were meant to “degrade Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping”. More explosions were heard around noon on Tuesday west of Bandar Abbas, as well as in Bushehr and Choghadak, according to Iranian state TV, though no party had yet claimed responsibility. Oil price jumps as US-Iran clashes raise odds of interest rate rises Read more Iran targeted Bahrain, which houses the US Navy’s fifth fleet; Jordan, which hosts US air force assets; and two tankers associated with the United Arab Emirates in the strait of Hormuz. Bahrain said it had intercepted several of the attacks and accused Iran of targeting civilians, after explosions were heard in its capital, Manama. Jordan said it intercepted four missiles from Iran. The attacks threaten a return to all-out war and are a significant block to efforts to reopen the strait of Hormuz. Iran in effect closed the strait during the four-month war with the US, and the US imposed a naval blockade of Iranian ships in response. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two countries was supposed to reopen the strait but flares in violence and breakdowns in negotiations have hindered free navigation in the waterway. On Monday, Trump said the US would control the strait and would charge ships up to 20% toll for safe passage, a reversal of the previous US position that no country was allowed to charge tolls through the international waterway under the rules of freedom of navigation. The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, had strongly objected to Iran’s plan to impose fees. The two countries are now almost halfway through the 60-day period set out by the MoU that was supposed to give room for negotiations to reach a final truce. The two sides have made little progress on key matters such as the strait, Iran’s disputed nuclear programme and regional issues. US attacks on Iran have killed at least 28 people since last week, according to a tally by Agency France Press. View image in fullscreen A fire burns at the port of Kish Island in Iran, in an image taken from a social media video released on Tuesday. Photograph: Reuters The Indian foreign