Iran war live: Pezeshkian says ‘future of Iran will be shaped by the people

Kuwait‘s ⁠army ⁠says it detected and ⁠destroyed hostile drones ⁠in the country’s airspace, in what it ‌described as an Iranian attack against several vital facilities.
The commander of Iran’s top joint military command has said the US actions against Iran increasingly risk igniting widespread regional conflict, warning regional countries against being “consumed by the flames of war”.
‘Trump’s threats aim to convince Iran to return to talks’
Richard Schmierer, former US ambassador to Oman, says reports of an imminent attack on Iran are “a concerted messaging campaign” aimed at convincing Tehran to return to negotiations.

US military pressure has yet to force Tehran to change its red lines and resume talks with Washington. According to reports, Trump is becoming impatient with Iran, which has shown it can absorb extensive military strikes while continuing to exert control over the Strait of Hormuz.

Schmierer, however, says Trump will likely follow through on his latest threats if Iran does not change course.

“I don’t think it’s a bluff. I think it is an attempt to convince Iran to change its mind; to change its approach. But I don’t think it’s a bluff in the sense that Trump would stand down unilaterally if Iran does not change; if Iran continues its attacks. So if Iran does continue its attacks, I think that will actually trigger an increase in military activity,” Schmierer told Al Jazeera.

No tangible signs of imminent US action against Iran
US President Donald Trump posted a number of photographs of fighter aircraft on his Truth Social page. There was no comment attached. We do not know whether it was directed at Iran or who it was directed at, but he put that out there.

Unusually, a “lid” was declared before 10am. Normally, it is only done in the evening. That meant the president would remain at the White House throughout the day, with no travel plans.

We heard from Trump on Friday at a cabinet meeting at Camp David, where he implied that an attack was imminent. He said: “We will be striking them very hard.”

However, he has said that before, and he has also said that he has not yet reached a decision. So, we are hovering over a possible escalation, but we have no tangible indication that this is going to be the case.

US embassies in most major centres have issued travel warnings, but these are basically the same warnings issued by the State Department virtually every day during the conflict. Nothing unusual can be read into that.

There are also no signs of unusual activity at the US base in the United Kingdom where strategic bombers are stationed.

We have heard the threats and travel warnings before. There is no tangible evidence yet, one way or the other.

Iraq says ready to thwart attacks on neighbouring countries
The Iraqi government has issued a statement affirming the readiness of its armed forces to “thwart any attempts at targeting neighbouring countries within our regional sphere”.

The statement comes as Iran attacks Gulf countries in a bid to pressure Washington while avoiding direct confrontation with US forces.