Hundreds of thousands of stranded travelers are scrambling to make new connections and get through to airlines on jammed phone lines after the attack on Iran by the United States and Israel shut down much of the Middle East to air travel.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that "the most intense operation against Israel and the United States is set to begin," while state outlets warned that "revenge is coming."

From being just a fringe risk, conflict in the Middle East has become a top worry for investors unsettled by the prospect of a power struggle in Iran and a protracted regional war, with ramifications for everything from global trade to inflation.

Iran responded to an American and Israeli assault by attacking Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Bahrain, threatening those states’ reputations for security and openness.

Bengaluru, The Karnataka government has fully activated the SEOC and all DEOCs which are functioning 24x7 to monitor the situation and extend necessary assistance following airspace closures in several Middle Eastern countries, Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said on Sunday.

Arab and Muslim countries are sharply condemning comments by the U.S. ambassador to Israel, who said in an interview that Israel had a right to much of the Middle East.

The Middle East reacts to the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran which killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

By Heejin Kim and Nidhi Verma SEOUL/NEW DELHI, March 1 (Reuters) - Asian governments and refiners rushed to assess oil stockpiles as well as alternative shipping routes and supplies as the Iran conflict disrupted shipping in the crucial Strait of Hormuz,