Unleashing his inner hawk, Secretary of State Marco Rubio plans President Trump’s military interventions. So far, they favor regime compliance, not change.
President Trump is the first American leader to embrace fighting a full-fledged, joint war with Israel. Washington has tried to avoid that level of coordination in the past.
Despite his tough talk, President Trump has consistently made allowances for countries he sees as powerful or dominant.
In the lead-up to the U.S.-Israeli attack, President Trump downplayed the risks to the energy markets as a short-term concern that should not overshadow the mission to decapitate the Iranian regime.
France is highlighting its repatriation operations for nationals left stranded by the conflict with Iran.
The ordered departure of U.S. employees in the kingdom indicates that senior diplomats are bracing for a possible surge in violence in the war with Iran, officials say.
The flight was arranged and paid for by the State Department, officials said, as part of the evacuations of citizens stranded by attacks in the Middle East.
Many veteran diplomats faulted the State Department for its response after the attacks in Iran began, and for its actions beforehand.
On Tuesday, nonemergency staff and their family members were told to leave several posts as Iran continued to retaliate after U.S. and Israeli strikes.
The State Department also ordered nonessential staff in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and Iraq to to leave amid further retaliation from Iran.