Report of Russian rocket launcher sale to Iran as Tehran discusses cooperation treaty with Putin

▲ Escalating

Hormuz tanker fires and US strike keep tension high as indirect talks continue

On Thursday Iranian forces said five oil tankers and a tugboat caught fire in separate incidents in the Strait of Hormuz, amid fears of a new US attack. Trump said the US may have to "destroy" the rest of Iran and that people will "know soon enough". Indirect talks continue, and officials say Iran is reviewing "concrete proposals" on its nuclear programme. A report of a Russian rocket launcher sale to Iran also emerged as Iranian security official Mohsen Rezaei discusses a cooperation treaty with Vladimir Putin.

• Iran says five oil tankers and a tugboat caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz. On Wednesday the IRGC said four vessels struck naval mines on a prohibited route, which is its own account.
• Trump confirmed a US strike on an Iranian anti-aircraft site on Tuesday. Iran called Washington's reply to its Hormuz plan unconvincing.
• The BBC reports satellite images from November show digging and new buildings near Iranian missile bases.
• Iraq's prime minister spoke with Trump, and Iraq's top diplomat urged armed groups not to join any Iranian retaliation. South Korea will send patrol aircraft and a bomb-disposal team near Hormuz but rules out military intervention.