In the first major action to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the US military has said it had hit Iranian missile sites near the critical waterway with some of the most powerful bombs in the American arsenal.

About 90 ships including oil tankers have crossed the Strait of Hormuz since the outset of the war with Iran and it is still exporting millions of barrels of oil at a time when the waterway has been effectively closed, data shows.

Israel’s killing of Ali Larijani, a veteran Iranian politician known for his pragmatism, leaves the Islamic Republic’s wartime leadership largely in the hands of hardliners who may be less likely to seek a diplomatic pathway.