The United States and Iran each fired barrages of missiles Thursday, as the pattern of back-and-forth strikes took hold again and hope dimmed for any quick resolution.

Analysts say the U.S.-Iran war is at a critical point with the potential for further escalation, as the pattern of back-and-forth strikes resumes and hopes for a quick end to the five-month conflict fade

Republican Congressmen Scott DesJarlais and Matt Van Epps have joined the list of American lawmakers pushing for the designation of the Algeria-backed Polisario as Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO

Iran's Revolutionary Guard rejected that claim, declaring the strait to be Iranian territory and warning that it would not tolerate what it called illegal U.S. interference.

The United States has launched a campaign to dismantle the International Criminal Court, calling the Hague-based institution “an intolerable threat to US sovereignty.”

The U.S. launched strikes on Iran early Tuesday, hours after President Donald Trump vowed to reinstate an American blockade of Iranian ports and charge ships for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz

The Strait of Hormuz is once again the scene of fighting, with Iran and the United States States continuing to trade fire in the early hours of Thrusday. Both sides are using their own means to monitor the strategic waterway.

The Trump administration has confirmed tough new rules for foreign students in the US, set to take effect in September.

Iranian state media are reporting that bridges, a train station, and an airport were among the sites hit, amid renewed airstrikes.