Iran says four soldiers killed in US strike in Kermanshah province

Four Iranian soldiers were killed by a US attack in the province of Kermanshah, Iranian military officials said, according to state-affiliated media, as Washington and Tehran traded strikes in a renewed escalation of their conflict.

The deaths were reported as the US military said it had begun a new round of attacks on Iranian military targets. The Pentagon said the operation targeted Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps assets including air defense systems, radar installations, maritime capabilities and communications facilities.

Iranian officials did not publicly disclose the location of the reported strike in Kermanshah or identify the four soldiers. The claim could not be immediately verified independently.

The western Iranian city of Kermanshah, near the Iraqi border, has been hit repeatedly by strikes during the conflict. Iranian military facilities are based there and it has been a prime target in the wider U.S.-Israeli air campaign.

The renewed fighting has also stoked fears of wider regional instability and disruption to shipping through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.