India, July 9 -- Hopes for a lasting peace between the United States and Iran suffered a major setback after fresh military strikes and retaliatory attacks sharply escalated tensions across West Asia.

The United States carried out a new wave of airstrikes targeting Iranian military infrastructure, saying the action was in response to attacks on commercial shipping and regional security threats. Iran retaliated with missile and drone strikes targeting locations linked to US interests in the Gulf, raising fears of a wider regional conflict.

The renewed hostilities have cast serious doubt over ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at ending months of conflict. While backchannel negotiations have continued intermittently, both sides have hardene...