US President Donald Trump on Thursday said Israel may well strike Iran but stressed that he had cautioned against an attack while nuclear talks with Tehran continue.
The US has authorised the departure of non-essential personnel from Iraq and elsewhere as fears grow that Israel may attack Iran's nuclear sites.
“I don’t want to say imminent, but it looks like it’s something that could very well happen,” Mr Trump told reporters at the White House.
Axios reported later that the Trump administration had told the Israeli government the US will not be directly involved in any military strike.
He later posted on Truth Social, saying the US remains committed to a diplomatic resolution with Iran but that the country must "completely give up" on trying to get a nuclear weapon.
The prospect of military action in the Middle East comes as the US-Iran nuclear talks appear to be stalled over whether Tehran would be able to continue to enrich uranium in any capacity.
Mr Trump this week said he was less confident a deal could be reached, and Tehran on Wednesday threatened to hit US military bases in the region if conflict breaks out.
But on Thursday he said the US and Iran are “fairly close to a pretty good agreement”.
“We've had very good discussions with Iran. It’s got to be better than pretty good, though, but it’s got to be – I prefer an agreement, as long as I think there is an agreement, I don’t want [Israel] going in, because I think that would blow it,” Mr Trump said.
In another sign that a strike on Iran may not be imminent, US special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff plans to travel to Oman on Sunday for a sixth round of talks with Iran.
“Discussions are expected to be both direct and indirect, as in previous rounds,” a source said.
Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, confirmed to Iranian news outlet Tasnim that a delegation from Tehran would attend the talks.
Tehran on Wednesday threatened to hit US military bases in the region if conflict breaks out, and if it were attacked over its nuclear programme, amid increasing speculation that Israel could strike the country's uranium enrichment sites.
Further fuelling tension, Iran on Thursday said it has built and will activate a third nuclear enrichment plant, after the UN's atomic watchdog agency censured Tehran for failing to comply with non-proliferation obligations meant to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon.
The US State Department has begun preparing to evacuate non-essential staff from the American embassy in Baghdad. At the same time, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth authorised families of military personnel to leave from locations across the region.
The US embassies in Kuwait and Bahrain have not changed their staff levels, the State Department said.
Meanwhile, the UK Maritime Trade Operations on Thursday said in an advisory note that the situation in the Middle East remains “highly volatile”.
The UKMTO has advised ships to use caution when passing through the Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz.
