A fuel tanker is burning in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route, after it was hit by two drones, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) have claimed, according to Iranian state media.

The IRGC claimed the Honduras-flagged ‘Athen Nova’ tanker, was working in ‘unison’ with the US and was targeted as it travelled across the strait.

The strait is crucial for transporting oil and prices have surged after Iran forced a near-closure of the route.

Three British and America ships were also hit by the IRGC in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz on Sunday as Iran continues to seek revenge for the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

A major oil refinery at Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia, was shut earlier on Monday after being hit by a drone as motorists in the UK face warnings of potential ‘record prices at the pumps’.

Diners at a popular restaurant in Dubai were caught on video running for cover after a loud bang as Iranian attacks continue to rock the Middle East.

Dubai has been targeted by Iranian missiles and drones since Saturday and residents are on edge, with footage appearing to show diners confusing a ceremonial cannon, which notifies when people can break their Ramadan fast, with an explosion.

Iran has stepped up its attacks on Gulf states across the Middle East in retaliation over the US-Israel war which resulted in the death of its supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei on Saturday.

Qatar’s defence ministry said it shot down two Iranian fighter jets and intercepted seven missiles and five drones following widespread attacks across the country.

While Bahrain announced its air defences have intercepted 70 missiles and 59 drones in the latest wave of attacks

Qatar’s state-run energy firm was targeted, forcing it to stop gas production and Saudi Arabia halted operations at its huge Ras Tanura oil refinery which caught fire earlier today.

The latest onslaught comes after Iran rejected an ultimatum by Donald Trump to lay down its weapons after two days of fighting and launched new attacks on Israel and across the Middle East.

Senegalese immigrant Ndiaga Diagne, 53, murdered two people and wounded 14 more when he sprayed bullets at partygoers at a bar in Austin, Texas, early Sunday.

Investigators believe the slaughter at Buford’s Backyard Beer Garden was meant as payback for US-Israeli air strikes on Iran.

Two US State Department employees were injured by an Iranian drone strike on a hotel in Bahrain, according to a State Department cable reviewed by The Washington Post.

‘Two US DOW personnel were injured,’ the cable said.

The cable, which was sent on Sunday, did not provide additional details on what hotel the employees were at.

The Crowne Plaza hotel in Manama was stuck Sunday morning.

The US Embassy in Bahrain advised US citizens in Bahrain that hotels might be a target for attacks, and encouraged citizens s to avoid hotels in Manama.

The US Virtual Embassy in Iran issued a security alert on Monday advising Americans to shelter in place or leave the country immediately.

‘Due to ongoing military operations, Americans are advised to shelter-in-place. If safe to do so, Americans should leave Iran now by land,’ the embassy said.

‘If you cannot leave, find a secure location within your residence or another safe building. Have a supply of food, water, medications and other essential items.’

The embassy also advised citizens to have a plan for departing Iran that does not rely on US government assistance, as well as to avoid demonstrations, keep a low profile and stay aware of their surroundings.

Officials warned that the Iranian government may restrict or prevent departures from Iran, and US-Iranian dual nationals must exit Iran on Iranian passports.

As of Monday, the Armenian land border at Agarak/Norduz is open, and Turkish land border crossings with Iran are open for entry by Turkish and third country nationals.

A key Israeli diplomat has suggested that Israel and the US will continue to strike Iran for ‘as long as it takes’

Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, said the civilian impact at home, including deaths, is part of the ‘sacrifice’ for future generations.

‘We all know those we have lost, despite the sacrifice, we are determined,’ he said. ‘We will not stop until we achieve our objectives.’

At least nine people were killed in Beit Shemesh in Israel when an Iranian missile hit a residential area.

Four American troops have so far been killed.

The US and Israel have given separate answers about how long they believe the conflict will last.

On Sunday, in an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, Donald Trump said it would last four weeks.

But earlier today he said the US ‘projected four to five weeks, but we have capability to go far longer than that’.

As the risk of retaliation grows, a sobering new projection is forcing Americans to confront a chilling question: What would happen if the conflict spiraled into a nuclear strike on US soil?

To help visualize that threat, a newly circulated map models the potential devastation, showing how a large-scale nuclear attack could impact major population centers across the country.

According to the analysis, up to 250 million Americans, roughly 75 percent of the population, could be killed if key cities along the East Coast, West Coast, Midwest and South were targeted.

Iran has for the first time confirmed the death of key commanders of the armed forces.

According to the Iran’s Revolutionary Guards-affiliated Tasnim news agency, seven have died.

They include:

• Brigadier General Mohammad Shirazi, head of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief
• Brigadier General Saleh Asadi, Deputy for Intelligence of the Armed Forces General Staff
• Major General (Air Force) pilot Mohsen Darehbaghi, Deputy for Logistics and Support of the Armed Forces
• Brigadier General Akbar Ebrahimzadeh, Deputy Head of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief
• Brigadier General Gholamreza Rezaeian, Head of the Intelligence Organization of Faraja (Law Enforcement Command)
• Brigadier General Bahram Hosseini Motlagh, Head of the Planning and Operations Department, Operations Deputy of the Armed Forces General Staff
• Brigadier General Hassan-Ali Tajik, Head of the Logistics Department of the Armed Forces General Staff

Rio Ferdinand, who moved to Dubai in August last year with his wife Kate and three children, has spoken out about the ‘terrifying’ explosions which have rocked the city.

‘Been a different week for me, not going to lie,’ the Manchester United legend said.

‘Home-schooling a bit today. It’s frightening when you hear missiles, planes and fighter jets – I don’t know what it is – going above us, and you’re hearing big bombs, and what that is we don’t know as we don’t know the details of what they are,’ he added.

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The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, and about a fifth of the world’s oil passes through it.

Tankers traveling through the strait, which is bordered in the north by Iran, carry oil and gas from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, the UAE and Iran. Most of that oil goes to Asia.

Any disruption to traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is highly disruptive to the oil trade.

The strait is not officially closed, but tanker traffic has dropped sharply as satellite navigation systems were disrupted, data and analytics firm Kpler said on X on Sunday.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations Center reported attacks on several vessels in the area on either side of the strait and warned of elevated electronic interference to systems that show where ships are.

A bomb-carrying drone boat struck a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, which leads into the strait from the east, killing one mariner, Oman said.

Iran has been threatening vessels approaching the Strait of Hormuz and is believed to have launched multiple attacks.