US and Israel issue dire warnings to Iran alongside US military buildup

CNN and CBS reported on Wednesday that the US military would be ready to launch strikes against Iran as early as this weekend, though Trump has reportedly not made a final decision yet. 

The Wall Street Journal meanwhile reported that Trump had been briefed on his military options with “all of them designed to maximise damage”, including a campaign to “kill scores of Iranian political and military leaders, with the goal of overthrowing the government”, unnamed US officials told the newspaper.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said after the latest talks that Tehran had agreed with Washington on “guiding principles”, but US Vice President JD Vance said Iran had not yet acknowledged all of Washington’s red lines.

Speaking on Wednesday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian insisted “We do not want war” but suggested Tehran could not give in to US demands.

Amid the escalating warnings, Poland on Thursday ordered all its citizens in Iran to “leave immediately”.

Germany meanwhile moved troops out of northern Iraq, reducing its footprint to the minimum necessary to keep its base there functional, citing regional tensions.

Russia called for restraint, with a Kremlin spokesperson saying, “We are currently witnessing an unprecedented escalation of tension in the region, but we still hope that political and diplomatic means and negotiations will continue to prevail in the search for a settlement”.