The article reports a sharp escalation in a conflict between the United States and Iran, after President Donald Trump declared a previous ceasefire "over" and US forces struck more than 170 Iranian regime targets. In response, Iran fired missiles and drones at US allies in the Middle East, while Iranian officials said US strikes had hit the perimeter of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, raising fears over regional stability and safety around a nuclear site.

Kuwait and Bahrain faced fresh Iranian attacks on Thursday morning, and Jordan said five Iranian ballistic missiles were fired from north-western Iran towards one of its air bases, with sirens sounding and flights delayed across the region before the missiles were reportedly intercepted. US strikes over the previous 48 hours targeted Iranian military assets near the Strait of Hormuz — a waterway carrying about a fifth of the world's oil — destroying air defences, drones, speedboats and missile storage sites. US Central Command said the aim was to stop Iran attacking commercial shipping crossing the strait.