Tehran announced on Monday that diplomatic communications with Washington through mediators are still ongoing, despite US military strikes.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said in a press conference in Tehran: 'We have been notified through mediators and received messages, without going into details, but the important thing is that the diplomatic apparatus has been active in recent days, and ideas have been conveyed to us through some mediators.'

US forces launched attacks on Iran for the ninth consecutive day on Monday, as the number of confirmed US military deaths in renewed fighting rose to three, and concerns increased over navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

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The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement that it had begun a 'new wave of strikes' aimed at 'undermining' Iran's ability to attack commercial vessels in the strait's vital shipping lanes.

CENTCOM stated in a statement that the US military targeted Iranian military coastal surveillance and air defense facilities.

The statement added that the strikes targeted Iranian military command centers, air defense sites, coastal surveillance, naval capabilities, missile launch sites, drones, and communications networks.

For its part, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that US missiles struck several Iranian cities early Monday.