Israel has also been said to have informed the United States that it is ready and willing to launch a military attack against Iran, based on a CBS News report published on Thursday (June 12), which quoted several U.S. officials.
Ahead of possible Iranian counterattacks, especially on American sites in neighboring Iraq, the United States has begun evacuating part of its personnel from the West Asia region.
Speaking to reporters at the Kennedy Center in Washington, President Donald Trump addressed the escalating situation with Iran.
“Well they are being moved out because it could be a dangerous place,” Trump said.
The remarks followed a warning from Iran on Wednesday, where Tehran threatened to strike U.S. military installations in the area should a conflict erupt.
“We’ve given notice to move out and we’ll see what happens,” Trump added.
As region-wide instability increases, the U.S. State Department ordered all non-emergency government staff to leave Iraq.
While that is happening, in the next few days Washington and Tehran are to take part in a sixth round of talks over the Iranian nuclear programme, CBS reported. The Trump administration insists on strict limits on Iran's nuclear activities, as fears persist that Tehran is close to enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels.
These negotiations continue to be filled with difficulty, as hopes for a deal become more and more elusive. President Trump has reaffirmed his government's stance that Iran needs to commit to ending all uranium enrichment—an insistence that he Iranian leadership has bluntly rejected.
On Wednesday, Trump showed his diminishing hope for a diplomatic breakthrough.
"I don't know. I did believe so, and I'm becoming increasingly — less sure of it. They appear to be stalling, and I believe that is unfortunate, but I am less sure now than I would have been a few months ago. Something has happened to them, but I am considerably less confident of an agreement being reached," he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is still adamant against making any deal with Iran. His administration still sees Tehran in high suspicion, based on decades of hostility since Iran's Islamic Revolution of 1979. Netanyahu's office has recently said that Israel has conducted many missions—public and otherwise—to hinder Iran's nuclear ambitions.
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