Sandwiched between Iran, Oman and the United Arab Emirates, the Strait of Hormuz is one of the most vital shipping lanes in the world.

Around 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas usually passes through the tight waterway but it was effectively cut off by Iran after the US and Israel launched wide-ranging strikes on 28 February.

The closing of the strait has sent oil prices soaring globally.

The US established a blockade of Iranian ports in early April after a ceasefire was agreed.

US President Donald Trump has said the blockade will remain "in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed".

Image source, Reuters

The father of a sailor killed in the US attack on oil tanker Settebello says he last spoke to his son on Tuesday, and "everything was alright".

Ramji Chaurasiya tells Reuters that his son had left home eight or nine months ago.

Chaurasiya says he was informed that a bomb had been dropped on the ship and that several crew members were missing.

When asked what information he had received, the father breaks down in tears.

Debate is continuing between Iran and the US over the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

On Wednesday, Iranian state media reported the busy shipping channel was "completely closed to all type of vessel".

On Thursday morning, Iran's waterway authority says again the strait is closed, state media reports, following a new wave of US strikes yesterday.

However, overnight US Central Command denied its closure, writing: "Commercial ships are continuing to transit in and out of the Strait of Hormuz tonight."

The Strait of Hormuz remains at centre of negotiations, with both the US and Iran attempting to exert control over its future.

Iran has been blocking the waterway since the beginning of the war leaving thousands of sailors stranded, with the US imposing a blockade on Iranian ports in retaliation.

Iran has created the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, which it says will allow the Iranian army to oversee vessels moving through after the war.

But the US insists Iran will not be allowed to control the strait after the war - Donald Trump claimed on Wednesday that the US military had helped 200 commercial ships pass through the waterway as part of a "secret mission".

Iran’s foreign ministry has said the latest US strikes leave the ceasefire between the countries “practically meaningless”.

In a statement, the ministry strongly condemns the “illegal and criminal attacks” carried out by the US, claiming they violate the UN Charter and fundamental rules of international law.

It adds that US leaders will be responsible for the consequences of the escalation.

It comes after US Central Command said it completed a wave of “self-defense strikes” targeting military, surveillance and radar sites in southern Iran on Wednesday.

Iran also carried out strikes, targeting US military assets across the region in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.

Announcing the death of three Indian sailors after the US struck an oil tanker, India’s Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal says it was “deeply unfortunate to learn of the tragic incident”.

In a post on X, he adds that it's a "profound loss".

The Palau-flagged Settebello came under attack on Wednesday after the US military accused it of violating an American blockade by "attempting to transport oil from Iran". There were 24 Indian crewmen on board - 21 were rescued.

The US Central Command said it fired munitions into the ship’s engine room after crew “repeatedly failed to comply” with American forces.

Manoj Yadav, general secretary of the Forward Seamen's Union of India, told The Economic Times newspaper that he "refused to believe" that the US lacked information regarding the nationalities of the people on board those ships. He said detaining the ships instead was a “viable alternative”.

This is the second vessel with Indian crew that has come under attack this week. On Monday, US forces hit Marivex, also a Palau-flagged oil tanker with an Indian crew, in the Gulf of Oman after it failed to comply with US instructions, Centcom said.

All 24 crew were rescued by the Omani military, Indian authorities said.

Image source, Reuters

Three Indian sailors were killed after a US strike on the Palau-flagged Settebello, New Delhi’s Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has announced, describing it as "deeply unfortunate".

On Wednesday, US Central Command said it had disabled the oil tanker, accusing it of violating the ongoing blockade of the shipping channel the Strait of Hormuz.

India's government had initially said three Indian sailors were missing and 21 Indian crew members had been rescued.

Meanwhile, the Indian embassy in Oman said it was investigating a separate incident involving a vessel off the Shinas port in Oman, which took place in the early hours of Thursday morning.

It's the latest in a series of strikes on vessels operating around the coast of Oman this week – on Monday the US said it disabled a different oil tanker, another Palau-flagged vessel, the Marivex.

The ceasefire between the US and Iran is under increasing strain after the two sides exchanged fire for a second consecutive day on Wednesday, with both sides targeting military sites.

Despite the escalation of strikes, three Iranian sources told Reuters this morning that diplomatic efforts had intensified, with negotiations centring around the release of frozen Iranian funds.

We'll bring you the latest developments on this story throughout the day.