U.S.-Iran conflict escalates, aircraft traffic on Hormuz declines

Kathmandu. Tensions in the Middle East have escalated as the United States and Iran continue to intensify attacks and counterattacks on Thursday.

Meanwhile, observers said the number of ships plying through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital channel for global trade, had fallen significantly.

The US says it has attacked 90 Iranian military targets, including near Hormuz. Iran has claimed that 14 civilians have been killed in US strikes in the last two days.

According to Iranian state media, some places near the Bushehr nuclear power plant were also attacked. The deputy governor of Bushehr province was quoted as saying. However, the US has not commented on the latest attacks.

Iran says it has retaliated by targeting US military bases in Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar. Since then, pro-government media have claimed that Iran has carried out additional attacks in Kuwait, Jordan and Iraq.

Meanwhile, Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was given a final farewell after a six-day funeral.

Hundreds of thousands of people carrying Iranian flags took to the streets in the city of Mashhad in northeastern Iran. Some of the demonstrators also carried posters threatening to kill US President Donald Trump.

Khamenei was killed on February 28 after the US and Israel invaded Iran.