Donald Trump has added fuel to the fire by threatening that the country will be ‘totally wiped out.’

The US president claimed the ‘large and powerful’ strikes were in retaliation for the Iranian’s ‘failed’ attempt to add mines to the strait,and firing of eight missiles towards an American military base in Jordan,which was thwarted.

Trump wrote on Truth Social: ‘If the failed Nation of Iran retaliates for this very justified attack,they will be hit again at a much harder and higher level,but it will not be the biggest attack of them all,that is waiting in the wings and,when it is over,there will be very little left of the Islamic Republic of Iran.’

People assessed damage following airstrikes in Kuhestak,Iran,which hit a wedding celebration (Picture: Iranian Red Crescent Society/Reuters)

Airstrikes are also said to have taken place in Konarak,Bandar Abbas,Jask,Asaluyeh,and Qeshm Island,which houses cargo and oil terminals.

The US Central Command confirmed it began striking IRGC targets in Iran yesterday.

It said: ‘The strikes follow recent attempted attacks by the IRGC against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and against American service members deployed to the region.’

The Strait of Hormuz is at the heart of the drawn-out conflict,with shipping regularly disrupted due to the threat of attacks,with impact felt in fuel prices and consumer goods around the world.

Brent crude,the international marker for oil prices,traded at over $96 per barrel yesterday,compared to around $68 per barrel at the same time last year.

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