Donald Trump has claimed that the US knows where Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is hiding but said he would not be killed "for now."
It comes as the Pentagon is moving more fighter jets to the region and is extending the deployment of air assets already in the Middle East.
Trump wrote on his Truth Social page: "We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding. 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."
Trump has issued a warning to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
REUTERS
Several fires were seen across the Iranian capitalREUTERSKhamenei's main military and security advisers have been killed by Israeli strikes, leaving major holes in his inner circle and raising the risk of making errors, according to five people familiar with his decision-making process.
The Israeli military said Iran's military leadership was "on the run" and that it had killed Iran's wartime chief of staff Ali Shadmani overnight, four days after he had replaced another top commander killed in the strikes.
Israel had launched a "massive cyber war" against Iran's digital infrastructure, Iranian media reported.
Meanwhile, US Vice President JD Vance warned Trump would only use the US armed forces in pursuit of American goals, writing on social media: "[Trump] may decide he needs to take further action to end Iranian enrichment. That decision ultimately belongs to the President."
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS FROM IRAN
Vice President JD Vance said Washington would only use the US armed forces in pursuit of American goals
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People watch as smoke rises following an Israeli attack on the IRIB building
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Iranian pilgrims who were rerouted through Iraq, pray near the Arar border crossing
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Israel launched its air war, its largest ever on Iran, after saying it had concluded that the Islamic Republic was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon.
Tehran denies seeking nuclear weapons and has pointed to its right to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, including enrichment, as a party to the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Iran has so far fired nearly 400 ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones towards Israel, with about 35 missiles penetrating Israel's "Iron Dome" defensive shield and making impact, Israeli officials say.
Iranian officials have reported 224 deaths, mostly civilians, while Israel said 24 civilians had been killed. Residents of both countries have been evacuated or fled from major cities.
Smoke from an Israeli attack rises from Sharan Oil depot in Iran
REUTERS
Defence secretary John Healey suggested President Trump is "leading the calls" for a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
Asked if he was worried the US would join Israel in fighting, Healey replied: "I would say that you have seen the UK and the US, and other countries all calling for de-escalation, all calling for renewed diplomacy and you hear President Trump leading the charge and leading the calls for Iran to do a deal.
"That is what the US, it is what certainly the UK is doing in providing the additional assets into that region: reinforcing those calls for de-escalation, reinforcing the reassurance to partners and allies in the region, and also reinforcing the messages to Iran that the diplomatic route is the way that we will settle this.
"This diplomatic route with negotiations and the deal that President Trump wants secured will put an end to the risk that we cannot accept of Iran getting nuclear weapons."
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