Trump says US won't kill Iran's leader - 'at least not for now'

'Continuous and intense explosions' in Iranian capital

Continuous and intense explosions can be heard in western Tehran, state news agency IRNA reports.

Trump to meet national security team in Situation Room

Donald Trump is expected to hold a meeting with top national security advisers in the Situation Room, two US officials tell our partner network NBC News.

They will focus on the conflict between Iran and Israel.

The Situation Room is the White House's information and alert nerve centre.

It has been staffed 24 hours a day since it was established in 1961 to monitor national and world intelligence.

US deploying more warplanes to Middle East, officials say

The US military is deploying more fighter aircraft to the Middle East and extending the deployment of other warplanes, three US officials have told Reuters.

The deployments include F-16, F-22 and F-35 fighter aircraft, one official said.

Two of the officials stressed the defensive nature of the deployment. 

The US could deploy warships capable of shooting down ballistic missiles to the Eastern Mediterranean, a fourth official said.

The United States already has a sizeable force in the Middle East, with nearly 40,000 troops in the region, including air defense systems, fighter aircraft and warships that can detect and shoot down enemy missiles. 

Truly chaotic times as US president stokes tension

This is the highest stakes diplomacy via social media. 

The American president just posted on his Truth Social platform, as we covered in our previous post (see 17.28). 

In real time, we are witnessing Donald Trump's extreme version of maximum pressure diplomacy. 

He'd probably call it the art of the deal, but bunker busters are the tool, and it comes with such huge consequences, intended and unintended, known and unknown. 

There is intentional ambiguity in the president’s messaging. His assumption is that he can apply his 'art of the deal' strategy to a deeply ideological geopolitical challenge.  

It's all playing out publicly. 

Overnight, the New York Times, via two of its best-sourced reporters, were told Trump is weighing whether to use B2 aircraft to drop bunker busting bombs on Iran's underground nuclear facilities. 

Meanwhile, Axios was reporting that a meeting is possible between Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

The reporting came just as Trump warned "everyone in Tehran to evacuate".

The nuclear sites being threatened with bunker busters are not in Tehran, but Trump's words are designed to stoke tension, to confuse and to apply intense pressure. 

His actions are too. He left the G7 in Canada early and asked his teams to gather in the White House Situation Room.

This is a game of smoke, mirrors, brinkmanship and, maybe, bluff. 

In Tehran, what's left of the leadership is watching and reading closely as they consider what's next. 

Maybe the supreme leader and his regime's days are numbered. Things remain very unpredictable. 

From history, though, regime change (even when it comes with a plan - and there is certainly not one here) spells civil war and from that comes a refugee crisis. 

These are truly tense and chaotic times.

Trump: US could kill Iranian leader but won't - 'for now'

Donald Trump says the US knows where Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is "hiding".

The president called him an "easy target" but said the US would not kill him - "at least not for now".

"Our patience is wearing thin," he wrote in a series of posts on Truth Social.

"We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding," the US president's latest post says. 

"He is an easy target, but is safe there - We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now. 

"But we don't want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. 

"Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"

Trump earlier said online "we" have control of Iranian airspace, before publishing a post that simply read: "UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!"

More than 450 killed in Iran since Friday, human rights organisation says

More than 450 people have been killed in Iran since the latest round of fighting between the Iranian regime and Israel began on Friday, a human rights organisation has said.

Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRANA) said it has been documenting deaths over the four days of Israeli attacks.

It says 452 people had been killed in total, with 646 injured.

Of its figures, 224 of the dead were said to be civilians and 109 military.

Iran itself has so far not released any figures about its losses since Friday.

Iran launches wave of missiles

Iran has launched a wave of missiles toward Israel, according to Iranian state media.

It is the 10th wave of attacks, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards posted on Telegram.

The Israeli military has confirmed it has detected missiles from Iran.

Trump may decide to take further action against Iran, JD Vance says

Donald Trump may decide he needs to take further action to end Iran's nuclear enrichment efforts, JD Vance says.

The US president has said he wants to see a "real end" to the Israel-Iran conflict but also warned that if US troops were harmed by Tehran, then the "gloves are off".

Posting on X, Vance says the last 25 years of "idiotic foreign policy" will no doubt have Americans worried about Trump's plans.

"But I believe the president has earned some trust on this issue," he says. 

"And having seen this up close and personal, I can assure you that he is only interested in using the American military to accomplish American people's goals. 

"Whatever he does, that is his focus."

Vance also uses his post to argue that Iran had "enriched uranium far above the level necessary for any civilian purpose".

He insists that Trump "has shown remarkable restraint in keeping our military's focus on protecting our troops and protecting our citizens".

Vance also says: "The president has made clear that Iran cannot have uranium enrichment. And he said repeatedly that this would happen one of two ways--the easy way or the 'other' way."

Iran has 'no intention to enrich to level of nuclear bomb', ambassador tells UK MPs

The narrative about Iran as an "existential threat" is false and is used by Israel to "justify aggression and hide Israel's war crimes", Iran's ambassador to the UK has said.

Answering questions from UK MPs, Seyed Ali Mousavi said: "Let us not forget, Israel is the only regime in our region with nuclear weapons.

"It refused to join the NPT (nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) and place its facilities under the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) safeguards. It has attacked almost all of its neighbours and continues to commit atrocities without consequences."

He was also asked why Iran has apparently been enriching uranium to 60%, well above the threshold needed for civilian use.

Mousavi insisted this was for peaceful purposes and had been declared to the IAEA.

"There is no intention from our side... to enrich to the level of the nuclear bomb," he said.

Mousavi also commented on Iran's response to the Israeli attacks: "Iran will continue to act within the framework of international law. We will defend ourselves lawfully and proportionately."

He said that Iran’s first priority is diplomacy.

For context: Israel is estimated to have a nuclear stockpile of approximately 90 warheads, according to a House of Commons library document, which says its nuclear armed status is "universally acknowledged". However, Israel has never confirmed or denied possessing such a capability.

'Deeply worried': Xi Jinping comments on Israel-Iran conflict for first time

China is "deeply worried" about Israeli attacks on Iran, its leader Xi Jinping has said.

It marks his first public comments about the conflict that erupted on Friday.

He was speaking on the sidelines of a summit with five other Central Asian nations in the Kazakh capital of Astana.

Xi said China opposed any action that infringed upon the sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity of other countries.

"All parties should work to de-escalate the conflict as soon as possible and prevent the situation from worsening further," Xi said, in comments quoted by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.

Watch: Iranian state TV presenter back on air minutes after Israeli strike

Yesterday, Israel conducted a missile strike on Iranian state news channel IRIB, during a live broadcast.

A loud explosion was heard as the anchor was presenting, with some debris falling from the ceiling.

But within minutes, the same presenter was seemingly back broadcasting.

The camera pans around the crew as they pump their fists in the air and shout: "Death to Israel."

Iranian regime 'weakened' and 'probably' won't return to former strength, German chancellor says

The Iranian regime has been "very weakened and will probably not return to its former strength", according to Germany's chancellor.

Earlier today, Friedrich Merz said Iran's future was "uncertain" amid its ongoing conflict with Israel.

In the same round of media interviews, Merz suggested the destruction of Iran's nuclear program is on the agenda if the Iranian regime does not back down to make a deal on not seeking nuclear weapons - saying that Israel doesn't have the weapons for this, but the US does (see our post on bunker buster bombs at 13.32 for more on this).

"We will have to wait and see," Merz said in an interview with German broadcaster Welt at the G7 summit in Canada.

He added that the European offer of diplomatic assistance, should talks resume, still stood, as it did before the attacks. 

"If a new situation were to arise, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom would again be prepared to provide diplomatic assistance, as they were until last Thursday," Merz added.

'Most' of Iranian missiles fired at Israel intercepted, IDF says

More now on the latest Iranian attack targeting Israel in the last hour.

The Israeli Defence Forces has shared an update, saying that Iran launched "several missiles".

The IDF adds "most of them were intercepted".

It continued to instruct Israeli citizens and members of the public to "follow the instructions of the Home Front Command".

The Home Front Commander later added the public could leave their protected spaces.

Iran's ambassador to UK questioned by MPs - watch live

Seyed Ali Mousavi, the Iranian ambassador to the UK, is taking questions from the cross-party Foreign Affairs select committee in Parliament.

Israel's ambassador to the UK is not appearing because she was "unavailable", committee chair Dame Emily Thornberry says as the session starts.

Iran launches missiles towards Israel, IDF says

Iran has launched missiles towards Israel, according to the Israeli Defence Forces.

Air raid sirens have sounded in Tel Aviv and several areas across the country.

The Israeli Air Force is working to intercept the threat, the IDF added.

Four people were injured on their way to shelters, Magen David Adom, the Israeli emergency services, said.

-SKY NEWS