Iran’s Health Ministry said at least 18 people were killed and 142 others injured in US attacks carried out between August 30 and September 2.

The ministry said 44 of those wounded were children, while one child and two women were among those killed in the attacks.

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz is pushing up borrowing costs worldwide and could undermine progress made by developing countries in managing their debt, IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva has warned.

Just six commodity vessels passed through the key Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, against 11 the day before, according to the latest ship-tracking data from Kpler, cited by Reuters.

Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles called for restoration of maritime shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

“What we need to see is the Strait of Hormuz open,” Marles told ABC News from Washington, DC, saying Iran’s actions were “fundamentally in contravention with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea”.

The Kuwaiti army said the country’s air defences are responding to “hostile” missile and drone attacks, which it claimed were launched by Iran, according to Al Jazeera.

In a post on X, the Kuwaiti army said any explosions heard were the result of air defence systems intercepting the attacks.

Iran said the latest round of US strikes killed 18 people, including a child, and injured 142 others. The health ministry says 44 people under 18 were among those injured, as quoted by Al Jazeera.

The United States is extending troop deployment in West Asia, an indication that the war on Iran is likely to drag into next year, according to a Wall Street Journalreport.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday said he did not believe India and Iran were discussing a trade deal, while warning countries against helping Tehran bypass US sanctions.

Rubio made the remarks during an interview on The Brian Kilmeade Show on Fox News Radio, when asked about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek.

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Oil prices edged lower on Thursday as investors weighed the uncertainty of renewed military strikes between the U.S. and Iran that risk disrupting supplies from the Middle East.

Brent crude futures fell 43 cents, or 0.45%, to $95.2 a barrel at 0029 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were down 24 cents, or 0.26%, at $90.77.

Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) on Wednesday (local time) blacklisted a further 11 vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz over what it described as ‘non-compliance’ with Iranian protocols, taking the total number of vessels barred from the strategically important waterway to 56.

In a post on X, the PGSA said its Non-Compliant Vessels (NCV) list had been updated, while acknowledging information submitted by members of the public that contributed to the latest entries.

“The NCV list has been updated on the website. Certain entries on this list have been established through information voluntarily submitted by the public, and the PGSA wishes to formally acknowledge and thank those who have contributed to this effort,” the authority said.

Israel is preparing for the possibility of a pre-emptive strike on Iran amid fears that Tehran could launch an attack on Israel, Israeli outlet N12 reported. A senior Israeli official said Israel could also soon act alongside the US, with a possible response including strikes on Iranian oil and energy infrastructure.

Israel’s defence minister said on Wednesday his country was prepared to respond “with great force” if attacked by Iran, after Iranian forces targeted US military positions across the region.

Israel Katz said Israeli forces were prepared for a possible attack over the Jewish high holiday season, which begins in mid-September.

“For now, they are striking throughout the region except us,” he told a conference hosted by Israeli news site Ynet and newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth. “But there is a possibility that they will attack us. We are prepared for that defensively.”

Iran’s security chief Mohsen Rezaei warned the United States on Wednesday that Tehran was preparing a “new strategy” on the battlefield, in diplomacy and in countering US economic pressure.

“With all this flailing about, you will not only fail to climb out of the infernal depths you have created for yourselves,” Rezaei said in a post on X, warning that Iran’s new approach would “shatter” the foundations of the US.

US President Donald Trump said the renewed US military campaign against Iran would not last “too long”, but warned that Washington was ready to launch another attack whenever it chose.

Trump made the remarks on Wednesday after the US carried out heavy strikes on targets across Iran, killing at least 18 people, according to Iranian officials. The latest attacks marked the biggest exchange of fire between the two sides since July.

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