THE United States conducted a new round of air strikes on Iran early today after announcing the death of another member of the US military.

The attacks targeted the north-western city of Tabriz, about 325 miles from the capital Tehran, which the US claims is the location of underground missile bases. 

Iran responded by launching an attack targeting Bahrain, where the US navy’s 5th Fleet is based, and US assets in Kuwait.

The latest attacks again showed how, step by step, the US and Iran have inched closer to all-out war after the US repeatedly broke last month’s memorandum of understanding with Iran.

Washington’s forces have repeatedly targeted civilian infrastructure relied on by millions of people, while the price of benchmark Brent crude oil rose today above $90 (around £66) a barrel, further fuelling a global energy crisis sparked by the conflict.

The US military said the service member had been killed in Iraq on Saturday during the “controlled detonation” of a downed Iranian drone.

“We hit them very hard again tonight,” US President Donald Trump said, adding it was “in honour of” the soldiers killed.

US Central Command said it had targeted “Iranian military command centres, air defence and coastal surveillance sites, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites and communications networks.”

Iran’s Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported that the US strikes on Tabriz had killed at least one person.

US attacks also hit Bandar Imam Khomeini in Khuzestan province, Sirik and Jask in Hormozgan province and Konarak and Chahbahar in Sistan and Baluchistan province, IRNA reported.

Tehran has retaliated by hitting US assets throughout the Middle East. 

Bahrain sounded its missile alert sirens this morning, while Kuwait said its air defences had fired on an incoming Iranian barrage.

Mr Trump has threatened to continue targeting Iran’s civilian power stations and bridges. 

Iran’s government has responded by threatening to retaliate against the civilian infrastructure of US allies across the region.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that Washington is still open to negotiating with Iran but that “it has to be real.”

“We’re going to continue to respond. If the door opens to diplomacy, if the guys that want to do something productive for Iran win and take control of that system or take control of the negotiations, that’ll be a very positive development,” Mr Rubio said. “That’s not where we are tonight, unfortunately.”

Hours later, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei acknowledged that “proposals conveyed through mediators have been communicated to us,” but he declined to elaborate on their substance.