US begins 10th consecutive night of strikes on Iran; Shiraz and Khomein among new targets

US forces began a tenth consecutive night of air strikes on Iran at around midnight Tehran time on Tuesday, 30 Tir (4 p.m. Monday US Eastern time). US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the stated aim was to further degrade Iran's military capability to target commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian media reported explosions in Bandar Abbas, Shiraz and Sirik in the south and in Khomein in central Iran.

According to CBS News, the fresh round follows the killing of three US service members and the wounding of nearly 100 in recent weeks. A US official told Axios that talks between the two countries were continuing even as the strikes went ahead. President Donald Trump said on Monday that Iran would pay "many times over" for every US service member killed.

The continuing conflict and the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz have been the main driver of recent weeks' surge in global oil and gold prices and the sharp swings in Iran's currency market.