- Bridges, highway hit -

US-Israeli strikes hit at least two bridges and a highway in Iran, local officials said -- hours ahead of a deadline US President Donald Trump set for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face destruction of its infrastructure.

Two people were killed in a US-Israeli attack on a rail bridge in the central city of Kashan, a regional official told state media.

A bridge near the city of Qom, south of Tehran, was also struck, the deputy governor of the province said, according to state TV.

A key highway in northern Iran was closed after another attack, the regional governorate said.

- Israeli wave of strikes -

The Israeli military said it had completed a broad wave of strikes targeting "infrastructure sites" across Iran, without providing details of what the sites were.

- Guards' threat -

Iran's Revolutionary Guards threatened to deprive the United States and its allies of oil and gas if Washington crossed Tehran's "red lines", a statement carried on state television said.

"Our response will go beyond the region," it said.

- Qatar warning -

Qatar warned the war was close to a threshold where it cannot be controlled, with a foreign ministry spokesman saying "this is why we have been urging all parties to find a resolution to find a way of ending this war before it's too late".

- Trains cancelled -

Train travel to and from Iran's second city of Mashhad was cancelled until further notice after Israel warned Iranians not to use railways until 1730 GMT, local media reported, citing the governor.

- Istanbul shootout -

One gunman was killed and two others were wounded in a shootout with police outside the Israeli consulate in Istanbul, officials said, without drawing an immediate link to the war in the Middle East.

Turkey's interior ministry said the killed gunman "had connections with a terrorist group that exploits religion", without elaborating. Turkish media said it could be the Islamic State group.

- Avert 'tragedy', Iran urges -

Iran's ambassador to Kuwait urged Gulf states to find a way to avert a "tragedy" as the clock ticked down on Trump's deadline.

Iran has vowed to retaliate with strikes against infrastructure across the region if its own is destroyed.

Meanwhile, Iran's ambassador to Pakistan said efforts to end the war were approaching a "critical" stage.

- Blasts in Tehran -

An AFP journalist in Tehran heard a series of blasts coming from the north of the city, without being able to determine what was hit.

Local Iranian media reported that explosions rocked the capital and that 18 people, including two children, were killed in strikes in the Alborz province neighbouring Tehran.

Due to reporting restrictions, AFP is not able to independently verify tolls in Iran.

- Iran synagogue destroyed -

US-Israeli strikes early Tuesday "completely destroyed" the Rafi-Nia synagogue in Tehran, local media reported.

Iran has a small Jewish community, with the majority having fled in the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic revolution.

- Iraqi fighter killed -

A strike killed a fighter from the former paramilitary coalition Hashed al-Shaabi, or Popular Mobilisation Forces, in Iraq near the border with Syria, the alliance said, blaming the United States and Israel.

- Bridge closed -

Traffic across King Fahd Bridge, a major artery connecting Saudi Arabia and the island nation of Bahrain, was temporarily closed as a precaution, authorities said, following the issuance of security alerts in the area.

- Hormuz vote at the UN -

The UN Security Council is to vote Tuesday for a resolution addressing Iran's threats to the Strait of Hormuz, diplomatic sources told AFP.

The latest draft, seen by AFP, demands Iran end attacks on commercial vessels and halt "any attempt to impede transit passage or freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz".

Tehran has virtually closed the key waterway since US-Israeli strikes targeting Iran on February 28, sending global oil and gas prices soaring.

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