Aerial assaults raged between Iran and Israel early Monday, while Tehran vowed retaliation over the bunker-buster bombs American warplanes unleashed at the weekend on three nuclear sites.

US President Donald Trump insisted the attack had "obliterated" Iran's nuclear capabilities, but other officials said it was too soon to determine how significantly Tehran's nuclear programme had been impacted.

As the world awaited Iran's reply, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called the bombing campaign Israel launched on June 13 "a big mistake".

"The Zionist enemy... is being punished right now," Khamenei wrote on social media.

Sirens sounded across Israel and Iran early Monday as the arch enemies exchanged their latest round of fire.

The Israeli army said it was intercepting missiles from Iran, while Iranian state media Fars said the air defence system was working to counter a drone attack.

In a sign of possible nervousness about the conflict spilling into a wider regional war, oil prices jumped by more than four percent in early trading on Monday.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged China to help deter Iran from shutting down the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial trade route through which one-fifth of global oil output passes.

With Iran threatening US bases in the Middle East, the State Department issued a worldwide alert........

© Al Monitor