attack

The commander of the Revolutionary Guards said Iran would impose controls on shipping in the vital Gulf oil transit route if the Islamic Republic came under attack, a newspaper reported on Saturday. Speculation about a possible attack on Iran because of its disputed nuclear ambitions has risen since a report this month said Israel had practiced such a strike.

US helicopters have killed 17 gunmen with suspected al-Qaeda links in Iraq's Diyala province north of Baghdad, the US military says.

The attack took place on Friday morning outside the town of Khalis.

Thousands of US troops have engaged in a fourth day of heavy fighting in the area, in what is known as Operation Arrowhead Ripper.

But a senior US commander has admitted that most of the senior al-Qaeda leaders they are targeting have fled.