Amid renewed threats on the Bab al-Mandab strait, here is what we know about the key waterway that could be closed amid fresh escalations in the Middle East.

Iran’s Kharg Island has seen no disruption to its oil facilities, state media organisation Mehr News Agency said, citing sources.

The agency added that the situation on the island was under control, with no damage to infrastructure following a strike by the US.

A US official confirmed the attacks on over 50 military targets in comments to the Wall Street Journal.

Tehran and Paris have reached an agreement to release two French nationals held in Iran, the country’s official IRNA news agency has reported.

It comes in exchange for the release of an Iranian national held in France.

Diplomatic and indirect communication channels between Iran and the US are not closed, state media Tehran Times has reported, after earlier the outlet said they were.

It comes as the deadline to agree to the ceasefire deal looms at 8pm EDT (12am GMT/1am BST).

​Iran and the United States continue to exchange messages through Pakistan, ⁠a senior Iranian source told Reuters on Tuesday, but Tehran will ⁠not show flexibility ​as ⁠long as Washington continues to demand ⁠its “surrender under pressure”.

The ​senior ⁠Iranian source, who ‌asked not to be named, said Qatar on ‌Monday had conveyed ‌Tehran’s message to the United States and regional ⁠countries that if Washington attacks Iran’s power plants, “the entire region and Saudi Arabia will fall into complete darkness with ‌Iran’s retaliatory strikes”.

He ​also warned that “if ‌the situation ⁠gets out of ⁠control, Iran’s allies will also ‌close the ​Bab al-Mandab ‌Strait”.

A White House spokesperson has told The Independent that Iranian civilians welcome the sound of bombs because it means the regime is losing.

“The Iranian regime has committed egregious human rights abuses against its own citizens for 47 years, just murdered tens of thousands of protestors in January, and has indiscriminately targeted civilians across the region in order to cause as much death as possible throughout this conflict,” said Anna Kelly, a spokesperson.

“As President Trump said today, Iran can never have a nuclear weapon, and the Iranian people welcome the sound of bombs because it means their oppressors are losing.

“The President will always stand with innocent civilians while annihilating the terrorists responsible for threatening our country and the entire world with a nuclear weapon. Greater destruction can be avoided if the regime understands the seriousness of this moment and makes a deal with the United States.”

All ⁠Americans in ⁠Bahrain are ​advised ⁠to ⁠shelter ​in ⁠place ‌until further ‌notice, the ‌US state ⁠department said on Tuesday.

It comes after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared ”restraint is over”, threatening a response “beyond the region” and long-term disruption of global oil and gas supplies if the US further escalated the conflict.