Overview

• President Trump privately authorized plans to strike Iran’s nuclear and military sites but is withholding the final order pending Tehran’s next move.
• The Pentagon has deployed tanker aircraft, fighter jets and naval vessels to Europe and the Mediterranean to bolster force protection.
• Iran’s U.N. mission has rejected negotiations under duress and vowed retaliation if faced with military action.
• Iran’s missile barrages have inflicted extensive damage in southern Israel, including at a major hospital, prompting fresh Israeli counterstrikes on Iranian facilities.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected discussions of assassinating Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, underscoring Moscow’s support for Tehran’s leadership.