Tehran: Eight Iranian soldiers were killed in overnight US strikes in southern Iran, according to the state news agency IRNA on Wednesday. The agency reported the fatalities without giving further details amid renewed tensions between the United States and Iran following attacks on three tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.

According to Anadolu Agency, Mehr News Agency also reported that two fishermen were killed and two others were injured in the overnight US strikes in the southern province of Hormozgan. The situation remains tense as both nations engage in a series of retaliatory actions.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated early Wednesday that it had launched missile and drone strikes targeting 85 US military sites in the region. The targets included Salman Port, the US Navy's Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, and Ali Al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait. This aggressive response underscores the escalating conflict between the two nations.

The attacks came after the US military's Central Command announced it had carried out a new round of strikes against Iran. The US targeted more than 80 sites in response to Iranian attacks on commercial vessels transiting the vital Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway for global oil shipments.