Iran says it struck ships in Strait of Hormuz after US launches new strikes

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) says it has struck ships in the Strait of Hormuz, after the US military launched a new wave of strikes on Iran.

The latest US attack comes after President Donald Trump said Iran would be hit "hard" and Tehran has taken "too long to make a deal" to end the war.

US Central Command (Centcom) said it began "self-defense strikes" on Wednesday in "response to Iran's unwarranted and continued aggression".

Iranian state media then reported the IRGC had struck two ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran and the US have targeted military and surveillance sites in recent days in an escalation of tit-for-tat strikes, testing a fragile ceasefire agreed in April.

Explosions have also been heard on the island of Qeshm in the Gulf, as well as a number of other cities, including Bandar Abbas and Sirik.

In response to the US strikes, Iranian state media reported that the Strait of Hormuz was "completely closed to all type of vessel". Centcom, however, said "commercial ships are continuing to transit in and out of the Strait of Hormuz".

Oil prices rose shortly after the closure of the shipping channel was announced.

Brent crude oil, seen as the global benchmark, climbed above $95 a barrel after rising by about 2% during morning trade in Asia.