THE United States and Iran exchanged fire across the Middle East today, as officials in both nations called into question diplomatic efforts to stop the war as it threatens to again spin out of control.

The US continued its air strikes on the Islamic Republic, hitting targets across the nation as air defence systems opened fire over the capital, Tehran. 

US Central Command said its targets included aircraft hangars and drone storage sites.

Iran retaliated with missile and drone fire targeting Jordan’s port city of Aqaba, once again attacking just on the doorstep of Israel. 

The US has been using Israel’s main Ben-Gurion International Airport to host its refueller aircraft and has put fighter jets at bases in the country, but Iran has been hesitant to strike for fear of bringing the Israeli military back into the conflict.

A missile alert sounded in Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia warned residents of the Persian Gulf city of Dammam to seek shelter. 

Iran has repeatedly attacked US assets in Gulf countries in response to US air strikes. 

Saudi authorities later lifted the warning in Dammam, saying the danger had passed, without elaborating.

Meanwhile, shipping remains largely stalled through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all oil and natural gas traded passed in peacetime. 

The blockade of the strait has pushed benchmark Brent crude above $94 (£69) a barrel in trading, again straining global energy supplies and raising the cost of petrol in the US ahead of midterm elections this autumn.

Missile alert sirens sounded today in Jordan’s port city of Aqaba. Jordan’s military said it intercepted four missiles in the Iranian attack, while two others fell in “uninhabited areas.” 

Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard insisted the country’s retaliatory attacks would continue.

Before the latest strikes, Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni visited Pakistan, a key mediator in the conflict, seeking to revive diplomacy. 

But it was unclear what new arrangements might be reached to end the war.

The US is widely accepted as being responsible for breaking the memorandum of understanding that was agreed to end the illegal and unprovoked war launched against Tehran by Washington and Tel Aviv.

Speaking from the Oval Office on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump gave a dim view on possible talks, saying the US had “no interest in meeting.” 

He signalled that US forces could soon target an area of Iran close to one of its main sites for enriching uranium.