Trump to attend security meeting on Friday after Israeli strikes on Iran
By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump will attend a National Security Council meeting on Friday morning, the White House said late on Thursday after Israeli strikes on Iran that have put the Middle East on edge.
The meeting will be held at 11 am ET (1500 GMT) on Friday, the White House said.
WHY IT'S IMPORTANT
Israel said early on Friday Middle East time and late Thursday U.S. time that it had struck Iran to block Tehran from developing atomic weapons, and Iranian media and witnesses reported explosions including at the country's main uranium enrichment facility.
U.S. top diplomat Marco Rubio called Israel's strikes against Iran a "unilateral action" and said Washington was not involved while also urging Tehran not to target U.S. interests or personnel in the region.
The U.S. State Department said late on Thursday that the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem has directed all U.S. government employees and their family members to shelter in place until further notice.
CONTEXT
Trump had been seeking a new nuclear deal to place limits on Iran's disputed uranium enrichment activities but the talks have appeared to be deadlocked.
Trump said earlier on Thursday an Israeli strike on Iran "could very well happen" but reiterated hopes for a peaceful resolution.
The U.S. military is planning for the full range of contingencies in the Middle East, including the possibility that it might have to help evacuate American civilians, a U.S. official told Reuters.
SECURITY ALERT BY U.S. EMBASSY
A security alert by the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem said the security environment was complex and could change quickly.
In response to security incidents and without advance notice, the U.S. embassy may further restrict or prohibit U.S. government employees and their family members from traveling to certain areas of Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the State Department said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
6 minutes ago
Protests live updates: LA police clear crowd outside federal building
Saturday marks the first full day of Marines on duty in Los Angeles, one week after protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids ignited in LA and spread to other cities across the U.S., including New York City, San Francisco, Boston, and Austin, Texas. Meanwhile, more than 2,000 "No Kings Day" protests were held across the U.S. on Saturday to protest the Trump administration and to counterprogram the military parade in Washington, D.C., organizers said. More than 5 million people participated, according to organizers.
Wall Street Journal
8 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
Thousands Assemble at Texas Capitol After Threats
A demonstrator takes part in the 'No Kings' protest in Austin, Texas. (Joel Angel Juarez/Reuters)
New York Times
10 minutes ago
- New York Times
Inside Trump's Extraordinary Turnaround on Immigration Raids
On Wednesday morning, President Trump took a call from Brooke Rollins, his secretary of agriculture, who relayed a growing sense of alarm from the heartland. Farmers and agriculture groups, she said, were increasingly uneasy about his immigration crackdown. Federal agents had begun to aggressively target work sites in recent weeks, with the goal of sharply bolstering the number of arrests and deportations of undocumented immigrants. Farmers rely on immigrants to work long hours, Ms. Rollins said. She told the president that farm groups had been warning her that their employees would stop showing up to work out of fear, potentially crippling the agricultural industry. She wasn't the first person to try to get this message through to the president, nor was it the first time she had spoken to him about it. But the president was persuaded. The next morning, he posted a message on his social media platform, Truth Social, that took an uncharacteristically softer tone toward the very immigrants he has spent much of his political career demonizing. Immigrants in the farming and hospitality industries are 'very good, long time workers,' he said. 'Changes are coming.' Some influential Trump donors who learned about the post began reaching out to people in the White House, urging Mr. Trump to include the restaurant sector in any directive to spare undocumented workers from enforcement. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
