The United States carried out fresh strikes on targets in Iran on Tuesday, ending a month-long pause in direct military action and triggering a new round of hostilities. Iranian semi-official media reported that Tehran responded with missiles and drones, while local officials said an American strike hit a house where a wedding was taking place, killing five people and injuring dozens.

The renewed fighting came amid growing instability across the Middle East, including fresh attacks on shipping around the Strait of Hormuz, renewed US travel warnings, uncertainty over inspections of Iran’s nuclear sites and military developments in Gaza and Yemen.

US Cites Threats To Shipping And Troops

US Central Command said the latest strikes followed what it described as Iranian attempts to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and US service members in the region.

President Donald Trump warned Iran against retaliating in a social media post, saying, “they will be hit again at a much harder and higher level, but it will not be the biggest attack of them all, that is waiting in the wings.”

The latest exchange followed Sunday’s US strike on rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran subsequently launched missiles towards US positions in Jordan, although the missiles were intercepted. The United Arab Emirates also said it had intercepted an Iranian drone over its waters.

The latest escalation comes after the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, following which Tehran imposed restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Hormuz Crisis Continues To Disrupt Shipping

The Strait of Hormuz is a crucial global energy route through which around one-fifth of the world’s traded oil passed during peacetime. The disruption in shipping has sharply reduced traffic through the waterway, affecting global markets and contributing to higher energy and other prices.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has long supported a negotiated end to the conflict. However, the Revolutionary Guard remains Iran’s most powerful military force and is seeking greater concessions from Washington, including Iranian control over the strait and financial compensation for the war.

Iran has also been working with Oman, which lies on the southern side of the strait, on a framework to manage shipping traffic. It remains unclear whether the proposed arrangement would be acceptable to Washington.

Other Gulf countries have called for the strait to reopen without conditions. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq on Tuesday, with the Saudi Press Agency saying the two leaders discussed “ongoing efforts to maintain regional security and stability”.

US Issues Fresh Middle East Travel Alert

The US State Department has renewed its travel alert for the Middle East, warning Americans that the security situation remained volatile and could deteriorate unexpectedly.

“Due to tensions in the Middle East, the security environment remains complex with the potential for unforeseen escalation,” the department said in an advisory covering countries across the region.

The department urged US citizens in the region to remain highly vigilant and prepare for possible disruption to travel.

IAEA Still Unable To Inspect Iranian Nuclear Sites

The International Atomic Energy Agency said it has still been unable to inspect Iranian nuclear facilities affected by the 12-day war in June 2025. The assessment was contained in a confidential report circulated to member states and seen by The Associated Press.

The agency said it therefore “cannot provide any information on the current size, composition or whereabouts of the stockpile of enriched uranium in Iran.”

The lack of access leaves uncertainty over the condition of Iran’s nuclear programme as military tensions between Tehran and Washington resume.

Israel Detains Senior Hamas Security Official

The wider regional escalation also continued in Gaza. Israel said it detained the head of Hamas’ internal security during a special forces operation in Gaza City on Tuesday.

Hospital officials said at least four people, including two children, were killed in the operation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the detainee, whose name was not disclosed, was “one of the most senior Hamas leaders”.

Netanyahu said the official had most recently been “engaged in efforts to restore Hamas’s governance in Gaza.”

Islamic State Spokesperson Killed In Yemen

In Yemen, state security authorities said Islamic State spokesperson Abu Huzayfah al-Ansari was killed in Seiyun city in Hadramout province.

The operation was carried out jointly by Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces and Yemeni counterterrorism forces. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to comment publicly, said American forces were not involved.

Two Ships Reported Attacked Near Hormuz

Maritime security concerns also intensified around the Strait of Hormuz. The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said it had received reports of two separate incidents involving ships in and around the waterway.

In the first incident, a tanker was struck by three projectiles on Monday while travelling out of the Persian Gulf through the strait, east of Oman.

In a second incident on the same day, the maritime centre received a report “involving a tanker and military forces” off the Omani coast, east of the strait. No group immediately claimed responsibility for either incident.

The latest US-Iran exchange marks a return to direct hostilities after a month-long pause, while tensions continue to spread across the region through disruptions to vital shipping routes, renewed travel warnings, developments in Gaza and Yemen, and growing uncertainty surrounding Iran’s nuclear programme.

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