Middle East ceasefire dead as US bombs Iran, Hormuz shuts, missiles fly over Gulf

The brief pause in fighting between the United States and Iran shattered effectively Sunday, plunging the Gulf back into the brink of a wider war as both sides unleashed fresh military strikes that rapidly spread across one of the world's most strategically important regions, inculding the Strait of Hormuz.The United States carried out a third round of strikes on Iran after accusing Tehran of attacking a commercial container ship in the Strait of Hormuz. In response, Iran announced that it had once again closed the strategic waterway, stepped up attacks on US military facilities across the Gulf and warned that any retaliation would invite a "severe response."The latest escalation follows days of tit-for-tat attacks that prompted US President Donald Trump to declare the ceasefire "over", even as he said Washington remained open to negotiations.