US and Iran Engage in Intensifying Missile Barrages

The conflict between the US and Iran continues to escalate, with both sides trading missile barrages in recent days. The latest wave of strikes began on Thursday, when the US military said it had completed a 'heavy wave' of attacks against Iran, targeting dozens of sites belonging to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

The US struck military command centers, missile and drone facilities, as well as coastal surveillance and defense sites, according to Central Command. The strikes came in response to an earlier Iranian missile attack on a US base in Jordan, which killed at least 20 fighters and six Iranian advisers on Wednesday.

Iran fired back with its own barrage of missiles, targeting a Chinese firm's building in Kuwait, where one worker was killed. The strike also damaged the structure severely, according to Kuwait's military. Jordan's air defenses shot down five Iranian missiles, but no casualties were reported.

The conflict has sent energy prices soaring and disrupted global trade routes. Saudi Arabia has accused Iraqi militias of firing drones against its oil facilities over the past days. The Houthis in Yemen have also declared a blockade on Saudi shipping and threatened to choke off another crucial Middle East trade route, the Bab el-Mandeb strait.