The US and Iran expanded their conflict by striking key infrastructure, with Washington hitting Iranian logistics targets and Tehran attacking a Kuwait power and water facility. The escalation has raised fears of a wider regional war and pushed oil prices higher.

The United States and Iran expanded their conflict on Friday by targeting key infrastructure, raising fears of a broader regional escalation. The US struck bridges, a railway station and an airport in southern Iran, while Tehran retaliated by attacking a power generation and water desalination plant in Kuwait.

The conflict also spilled further into regional waters. In the Strait of Hormuz, US Marines boarded a tanker as part of Washington's blockade of Iranian ports, while another vessel was reportedly hit by a projectile. Separately, armed men seized a chemical tanker in the Gulf of Aden off Yemen, although a maritime security source said the incident appeared to be an act of Somali piracy rather than linked to Iran or its Houthi allies, Reuters reports.

Washington and Tehran have continued testing the limits of escalation since their ceasefire collapsed last week, increasing concerns that the conflict could return to full-scale war.

US strikes bridges, airport and logistics targets