The United States has carried out fresh strikes in Iran, further intensifying a five-month-old war that was already expanding beyond its main fronts to embroil additional countries in the region. “US forces began launching strikes against Iran at 8pm ET today” (10am Thursday AEST), US Central Command said in a statement on Wednesday. “The strikes are a powerful response to yesterday’s attempted Iranian attacks on US forces based in the Middle East.” The US strikes in Iran on Wednesday followed President Donald Trump’s vow earlier in the day to retaliate against Iran for firing on US troops. Washington and Riyadh said they struck Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq in retaliation for drone attacks on Saudi oil targets launched from Iraq.