West Asia war LIVE: Trump says Iran ‘will pay’ for killing U.S. soldiers

Iran is fighting a “full-scale war” with the United States, its President said today, as Washington expanded its strikes across the Islamic republic.

The declaration came as Tehran’s Yemeni allies, the Houthi rebels, threatened to expand the war yet further by announcing they would blockade Saudi ports, putting at risk Riyadh’s ability to bypass the Strait of Hormuz for some of its oil exports.

Throughout the war, which began in late February, Iran has targeted what it says are U.S. assets across the region, with the Revolutionary Guards saying today they hit targets in Bahrain, Jordan and Syria, but so far the Houthis have stayed on the sidelines.

“The reality is that today the Islamic Republic of Iran is engaged in a full-scale war,” President Masoud Pezeshkian said, according to a presidency statement.

– AFP