Trump 'simply raising a question’ about Iran regime change, White House says, ahead of security briefing

Iran will ‘respond proportionally’ to US, says Armed Forces chief

The chief of Iran's Armed Forces says the country will “respond proportionally” to the US following its attack on three Iranian nuclear sites, “regardless of the extent of the damages”.

That's according to reports from the Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

In a video message, Maj Gen Abdolrahim Mousavi says “Trump's move stems from desperation and aims to rescue his proxy force”, Israel, and “Netanyahu himself”.

He adds that when Trump saw signs of Israeli prime minister's "downfall”, Trump decided to give him “artificial respiration” by striking Iran.

Mousavi was appointed as the chief of the armed forces after his predecessor, Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, was killed by Israel on 13 June.

IDF warns Tehran strikes will continue in coming days

Just before we heard from the UK foreign secretary, the Israeli military issued an "urgent" warning to people living in Tehran that it will continue to strike targets in the city in the coming days.

In a post on its Farsi account on X, the Israel Defense Forces asks people to stay away from military and other security and manufacturing sites associated with the Iranian leadership in Tehran.

Over 4,000 Brits registered interest in repatriation flights, foreign secretary says

In response, shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel agrees with Lammy, saying that she believes Iran cannot have nuclear weapons.

Patel then asks a series of questions, including why the US was ahead of the UK in bringing back citizens abroad, and how many British nationals still need to be repatriated.

Lammy responds by saying there are just over 4,000 British nationals in Israel who have registered interest following the government's appeal last week.

"Around 25% [have] indicated to take up the British assistance to leave," Lammy says.

UK government says Britons in Qatar should 'shelter in place until further notice'

British nationals in the wider Middle East region should closely follow the government's travel guidance, Lammy tells Parliament.

He says that the government is now recommending British nationals in Qatar "shelter in place until further notice".

In an update on its website, the Foreign Office says the guidance comes as a result of the US telling its people to do the same out of an "abundance of caution".

He then speaks of risks of further escalation and urges Iran to "take the off-ramp" for diplomacy.

First evacuation flight leaves Israel and one Briton injured in conflict, Lammy says

Lammy says one British national has been injured during the conflict in Israel.

He continues, saying that as the UK responds to the fast-moving situation, the "priority remains the safety of British civilians and staff".

The British embassy in Tel Aviv and British consulate in Jerusalem remain open, the foreign secretary says.

Lammy adds that a Royal Air Force plane has flown to Tel Aviv to evacuate 63 British nationals to Cyprus, where they will be brought back to the UK later today. More will follow in the coming days, he adds.

The foreign secretary continues by saying that it's difficult to support people in Iran, since air space remains closed and there's a near-total internet shutdown. He adds that the British Embassy in Iran is operating remotely. The embassy said it withdrew its staff from the country last week in response to the security situation.

US took action to alleviate Iran threat, says UK foreign secretary

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy starts his statement by recapping the strikes carried out by the US over the weekend.

"Britain was not involved in the strikes," Lammy says. "Just as Britain was not involved in Israel's operations."

He reiterates the UK government's position that Iran "can never have a nuclear weapon" and that the "US has taken action to alleviate that threat".

More than 50 Israeli fighter jets strike Tehran - IDF

As we've been reporting, the Israeli military says it has hit a number of targets across Iran today.

In an update on social media, the Israel Defense Forces says that more than 50 Israeli Air Force fighter jets have struck military targets in Tehran.

It says that during a "recent series of strikes" fighter jets hit "military command centres".

"The sites struck included missile and radar production sites and missile storage infrastructure in Tehran," it says.

Trump calls for oil prices to be kept down

Donald Trump has called for oil prices to be kept down in a post on social media, reacting to talks of Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz.

"EVERYONE, KEEP OIL PRICES DOWN. I’M WATCHING! YOU’RE PLAYING RIGHT INTO THE HANDS OF THE ENEMY. DON’T DO IT!" he writes in a post on his Truth Social platform.

Trump does not make clear who he is calling on to do this.

In a follow up post, Trump instructs the US Department of Energy to "DRILL, BABY, DRILL!!! And I mean NOW!!!"

The Strait of Hormuz is a shipping route connecting the oil-rich Gulf with the Indian Ocean, through which roughly 20% of the world’s oil supplies flow daily.

Trump was 'simply raising a question' about Iran regime change, press secretary says

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says Donald Trump was "simply raising a question" when he floated the idea of regime change in Iran, referring to his earlier comments in a Truth Social post.

"If they refuse to engage in diplomacy moving forward, why shouldn't the Iranian people rise up against this brutal terrorist regime? That's a question the president raised last night," she told reporters.

"But as far as far as our military posture, it has not been changed," she adds.

Leavitt says the US strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites on Saturday "took out their nuclear programme", however the head of global nuclear watchdog previously said that while significant is damage expected at the Fordo site, no one is currently able to fully assess the extent of the damage underground.

Asked about Iran potentially shutting down the Strait of Hormuz, Leavitt says the US is "closely monitoring the situation" and that "the Iranian regime would be foolish to make that decision".

-BBC