The US military began a renewed round of air strikes on Iran Wednesday evening, sending oil prices surging north after several days of escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran. Futures on Brent crude (BZ=F),

Israel's tit-for-tat strikes with Iran over the weekend, despite US President Donald Trump's call for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold fire, threatened to thrust the Middle East back into another round of direct confrontation between Tehran and Washington.

Several areas in Iran, including western Tehran, Fars province, Bandar Abbas, and Qeshm were targeted in the latest US attacks.

As explosions sounded in the Iranian capital, people frantically checked phones and social media to see whether they were under attack again.

Iran's decision to risk jeopardising peace talks may reflect how its leaders view their current position, writes BBC Persian editor Amir Azimi.

Qatari negotiators arrived in Tehran to broker a US-Iran deal involving $12B in frozen assets and nuclear talks, while Bitcoin rallies to $75K on peace

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliamentary speaker and chief negotiator, says the US is “neither seeking a ceasefire nor seeking dialogue” and that Tehran should respond “decisively to defend the rights of the Iranian people”.