Iran president says country in 'full-scale war' with US

Iran is fighting a "full-scale war" with the United States, its president said Monday, as Washington expanded strikes across the country, including a city that hosts a nuclear power plant.

Iran responded with its own attacks, with the Revolutionary Guards saying they had hit targets in Bahrain, Jordan and Syria, while Bahrain said Tehran had targeted its air navigation systems.

Why does Iran say it is in a full-scale war with the US?

President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran was engaged in a "full-scale war" with the United States after Washington expanded strikes into Iran's north and centre, areas further from the Strait of Hormuz than previous attacks. He said Iran "must be realistic and accept the natural consequences" of its resistance, according to a presidency statement.

"The reality is that today the Islamic Republic of Iran is engaged in a full-scale war," Pezeshkian said.

State media and local authorities reported the fresh US strikes on Monday, marking an escalation beyond areas near the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of world oil supplies passed before the war.

What happened to the US-Iran ceasefire?

The Middle East war resumed after a weeks-long lull that followed a truce agreement signed in June. Oil prices surged to a one-month high as both sides fought for control of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran reimposed its blockade of the waterway, and the US responded by blockading Iran's ports again.

All the Iranian provinces struck on Monday host military bases and air defence systems. In Bushehr, home to Iran's only operational civilian nuclear plant, governor Mohammad Mozaffari told state news agency IRNA that "several locations in Bushehr city were hit by American enemy's projectiles." In East Azerbaijan province, local crisis official Majid Farshi told IRNA that one person was killed and several injured in an attack.

Are the US and Iran still holding diplomatic talks?

Despite the latest strikes, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said diplomatic exchanges with the US via mediators were continuing.

He said mediators had conveyed certain ideas to Tehran, speaking at a press conference in the capital attended by AFP. Iran's Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni was set to travel to Pakistan, a mediator in the conflict, on Monday, though a Pakistani interior ministry source did not confirm the purpose of the visit.

What is happening in the Strait of Hormuz?

Sailors abandoned a vessel that caught fire during an attack in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said two oil tankers attempting to transit the strait "exploded and were brought to a halt," according to a statement carried by Tasnim news agency.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Sunday for countries worldwide to help protect global shipping in the region. Baghaei said Tehran would not allow the strait to be used by its adversaries "to threaten Iran's security and national interests." US Central Command said it completed a ninth consecutive night of strikes against Iran, while Rubio said he would continue pursuing a diplomatic solution.

How many US military personnel have died in the conflict?

The US announced three new military fatalities and one service member missing in action over the weekend. Two service members were killed in Iranian missile and drone attacks on Jordan on Friday, and another died in northern Iraq during the controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian drone, according to CENTCOM.

President Donald Trump said US strikes on Iran "hit them very hard" in honour of the fallen personnel. The latest deaths brought the confirmed US military death toll to 17 since the conflict began, following a major US-Israeli strike on Iran. Iran's health ministry reported Friday that 50 people had been killed in recent fighting, with more than 500 wounded.

Where has Iran struck in the region?

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Monday they had hit targets in Syria, Jordan and Kuwait overnight. In Syria, Iranian forces launched what the Guards called a surprise attack on the enemy special operations command centre in the Al-Tanf region, an area the US withdrew its troops from in February.

In Jordan, the Guards said they targeted US military aircraft at Aqaba Airport with ballistic missiles, causing severe damage to several of them. They also said they struck US military targets in Kuwait, including an early-warning radar system described as completely destroyed. Kuwait's army said its air defenses were engaging hostile drone attacks following the Iranian strikes, while Bahrain's interior ministry said air raid sirens had sounded, urging residents to seek the nearest safe place.