The BBC’s U.S. partner CBS reports that President Donald Trump has given the green light to contingency plans for striking Iran, though no definitive decision has been made. A senior intelligence official told CBS that Trump held off on ordering an attack in hopes Tehran might agree to abandon its nuclear program. Among the options under review is a strike on Fordow’s underground uranium‑enrichment facility.
On Wednesday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei took to state television to reject Trump’s demand for “unconditional surrender,” warning that any U.S. military action would come at a steep price and declaring, “The Iranian nation will never give in.” When pressed by reporters, Trump himself quipped, “I might do it, I might not do it—nobody knows what I’m going to do,” hinting that his patience had run out. The Wall Street Journal was first to report on his approval of strike options.
Meanwhile, Israel has intensified air attacks on Iranian missile sites and nuclear installations. Iran says it has retaliated with hypersonic missiles, although no major damage in Israel has been confirmed. This was Khamenei’s first public response since Friday’s preemptive strikes. His inner circle later lambasted Trump, asserting that “Iran will never surrender to the United States” and branding U.S. threats as “brazen lies.”
Amid the heightened tensions, many residents of Tehran are fleeing the city in search of safety. In a video message, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared, “We control the skies over Tehran” and said Israeli forces are striking symbols of the ayatollahs’ regime—missile launchers and nuclear sites.
In Washington, Pentagon officials told a Senate committee that U.S. forces are fully prepared to carry out any order the president issues, as additional naval strike groups and support aircraft are being deployed to the Middle East.
On the diplomatic front, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to meet U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy in Washington on Thursday to discuss Iran. It remains unclear whether the U.S. has formally sought to use British bases in Diego Garcia or Cyprus for any potential operation. A U.K. source says “all options remain on the table,” but America’s exact plans are not yet known.
The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem has issued security and evacuation guidance for American citizens in Israel, though how many will depart or receive military assistance is still uncertain.
Washington‑based Human Rights Activists report that Israel’s attacks have killed at least 585 people in Iran—including 239 civilians and 126 security personnel—while Iran’s counterstrikes, estimated at around 400 missiles, have resulted in 24 civilian deaths in Israel, according to Israeli authorities.
Meanwhile, after hackers briefly interrupted state television, Iranian broadcasters warned viewers to ignore any “irrelevant” messages—attributing them to enemy satellite jamming—after a hacked clip urged the public to “seize control of your future.”