Iran

The Guardian  - The US has authorised the departure of non-essential government workers and their families from Israel as the threat of an American strike on Iran looms.  US citizens should “consider leaving Israel while commercial flights are available”, the Department of State advisory added. It also urged against travel to Israel.

The warning came after talks between the US and Iran over the future of Tehran’s nuclear programme ended inconclusively, with a suggestion that further discussions would be held next week. Donald Trump, the US president, has assembled two carrier strike groups ready to attack Iran if he believes Tehran is not serious about ending its nuclear activities.

The Department of State warning was supplemented by a message to US embassy staff from the ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, urging those that wanted to leave to “do so TODAY”.

NPR- Trump is not ruling out the possibility of military strikes on Iran. The president hasn’t laid out his specific objectives behind a possible attack, nor has he asked Congress for authorization. He also hasn't explained his reasoning to the American people. The U.S. and Iran are currently set to continue their talks about Tehran’s nuclear program next week.

 The Trump administration seems focused on two likely sets of targets, NPR’s Franco Ordoñez says. One could be limited strikes, possibly against Iran’s ballistic missile program, nuclear targets or leadership. The second option could be a larger campaign aimed at destabilizing the country or possibly overthrowing the regime. The U.S. and Iran held their third round of negotiations yesterday. Iran has continued to refuse to negotiate on ballistic missiles — a sticking point for U.S. officials.