Australia backs US attack on Iran

International oil prices shot up $4 before settling back down to a gain of around $2 a barrel in early Asian trading Monday local time after US attacks on Iranian nuclear sites.

The increase reflects market concerns that the Persian Gulf, the world's main artery of energy flows, could be endangered or shut if Washington and Tehran clash.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei vowed in harsh terms to keep up its "punishment" of Israel in an X post on Satuday, his first comments since US bombings on Iranian nuclear sites.

"#RightNow," a post on Khamenei's account wrote: "The punishment continues"

"The Zionist enemy has made a grave mistake, committed a major crime; it must be punished—and it is being punished. It is being punished right now. #AllahuAkbar".

Khamenei made no mention of attacking US targets.

Protests were held on Sunday in far-flung cities against the US attack on Iran's nuclear sites.

Veteran Iran watchers in the United States were quoted by public broadcaster NPR as saying that while the US attacks could have delayed Iran's nuclear program, bombing can achieve only so much.

"The program has been seriously set back, but there's a lot of odds and ends," David Albright, the president of the Institute for Science and International Security, told NPR.

Professor Jeffrey Lewis at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies said air attacks were not a cure-all.

"Even the most brilliant bombing campaign, probably is not going to get us where we want to be," Lewis said.