The US is conducting fresh strikes on Iran, just hours after President Donald Trump declared that an interim agreement to end the war with Iran was "over."
Officials said the strikes were aimed at degrading Iran's ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
A spokesman from US Central Command said: "The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway."
Meanwhile, Iranian media has said Tehran's armed forces are set to launch a "massive" attack on US Army bases in the region shortly, citing military sources.
Earlier today, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that the Iran will not respond to "vulgarity with vulgarity”.
The comment comes after US President Donald Trump called Iran’s leaders "scum" at a Nato summit in Ankara, Turkey, today.
Mr Araghchi said: "Addressing the Civilized and Courageous Nation of Iran with derogatory language does not diminish its Greatness. Iranians are known for their civility, culture, and strong moral values. We do not answer vulgarity with vulgarity, but with action: fearlessly and with great valor."
Earlier today at the summit, President Trump said: "They’re scum. You know what scum is? They’re scum. They’re sick people. They’re led by sick people, and they’re vicious, violent people."
Smoke rising from a port in Kuhestak in Iran's Hormozgan Province after US strikes.
|REUTERS
In a flare-up that sent oil prices up about seven per cent, Iran said it had struck US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait, triggering US retaliatory strikes.
The escalation had been triggered by Iran's attacks on Tuesday on three cargo ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian media reports explosions were heard in Iran's Abu Musa island in the Gulf of Persia with Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) barracks in Bushehr also on fire.
Control of the strait, through which a fifth of global oil supplies pass, has given Tehran immense leverage over the US.
While Iran has not claimed responsibility for the attacks, analysts say Tehran uses such actions to underscore that leverage as it negotiates a long-term peace deal with the US.
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President Donald Trump took aim at the Iranian regime
|GETTY
Iranian state media has claimed shrapnel from US strikes on southern Iran hit a hospital in the city of Chabahar, near the border with Pakistan.
President Trump said earlier today: "If we make a deal with Iran I'm not sure that will stick. I found them to be very dishonourable people."
However, the President, who has repeatedly threatened to escalate military action before backing off, said he did not expect a return to full-fledged war.
It was not clear whether the negotiations on reaching a permanent deal would continue.