US president Donald Trump has insisted he “couldn’t care less” if Iran signs a “worthless” deal to end the war, as both sides launched fresh strikes in the spiralling conflict.

The conflict in the Middle East saw a dramatic re-escalation on Wednesday as Washington and Tehran traded attacks in the biggest exchange of fire in weeks, with US forces attacking Iran’s southern coast and Iran attacking American bases across the region.

“I’m not trying to force Iran to the bargaining table,” the Trump wrote on Truth Social overnight, responding to speculation after the US struck Iran for the first time since July overnight into Monday. “I couldn’t care less if they sign a worthless, to them, agreement.”

The president added: “I like our position now much better, with almost total control of the Hormuz Strait, and their economy totally collapsing. They are just playing out the inevitable.”

Trump called for the Iranian people to “rise up and fight” as Iran and its Arab neighbours were plunged back into war on Wednesday, forcing oil prices up to $92/barrel as hopes of an imminent end to the war slipped further out of view.

US forces struck Iran’s southern coast and Iran took aim at American bases across the region on Wednesday after the United States threatened more devastating strikes, with negotiations stalled and Iran still holding a tight grip on traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran accused the US of striking a wedding party, killing four people and wounding dozens, and responded with strikes on what it said were American assets in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Iraq.

“American evil in the region will be met with heavier, more widespread, and devastating responses, and any country that cooperates with the aggressive American army must accept its dangerous consequences,” Iran's military command said.

US Centcom said meanwhile that American forces had successfully completed a wave of strikes against Iranian military targets on Tuesday.

“U.S. forces struck Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets including air defense sites, radar systems, maritime assets and facilities, mine laying capabilities, and communications sites,” a statement read, adding that they followed IRGC attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz and against American service members.

US officials told Axios that the US military had attacked two Iranian government tankers as part of the round of strikes that took place on Tuesday.

Tuesday’s wave of strikes followed an American attack on Iran’s Larak Island overnight into Monday. Washington said it had struck Iranian launchers firing mines into the Strait of Hormuz in the first exchange of direct attacks in a month, before Iran claimed strikes on two US air bases in Jordan.

The dramatic re-escalation of the conflict, now in its seventh month, pushed oil prices back up to levels unseen since July, pushing $92 per barrel of the benchmark Brent crude.

Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian insisted that the Islamic Republic was ready to sit down for serious talks aimed at ending the war, though the regime is determined to emerge from the conflict stronger with new control over the Strait of Hormuz, billions in blocked funds released and sanctions lifted.

Trump agreed to many of Tehran’s demands in a June deal, but the ceasefire agreement collapsed within weeks over control of the Strait, and no public talks have been held since.

More follows on this developing story....