Trump acted to prevent Iran from ever getting a nuclear weapon, VP Vance says

The United States is preparing for a major increase in attacks on Iran over the next 24 hours, CNN cited a senior US official on Monday after an initial round of strikes Washington says weakened Iranian defenses.

The official said the "next phase will focus on destroying Iran’s missile production, unmanned aerial vehicles, and naval capability."

President Donald Trump previewed the escalation in an interview with CNN, saying the US “hasn’t even started hitting them hard” and that “the big one is coming soon.”

A loud blast triggered a fire at the US Embassy complex in Riyadh early Tuesday (local time), sources told Reuters, prompting the embassy to issue an immediate shelter-in-place alert for American citizens in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dhahran.

No casualties have been reported amid escalating regional tensions.

House Speaker Mike Johnson voiced his support for Operation Epic Fury on Monday, saying it was a defensive and decisive action to counter Iran’s imminent threat to US troops and assets.

“Operation Epic Fury was a defensive and decisive action taken to counter the imminent threat posed by Iran’s aggression toward American troops, citizens, installations, and assets. Our intelligence confirmed that inaction would have resulted in dire consequences," Johnson said.

"We continue to pray for our troops while they carry out this limited but critical mission," he added.

US President Trump spoke by phone with Kurdish leaders Masoud Barzani and Bafel Talabaniin in Iraq on Sunday to discuss the US -Israel war with Iran and what might come next, Axios reported on Monday.

Asked specifically about Trump's calls with the Kurds, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to discuss specifics.

"President Trump has been in contact with many allies and partners in the region throughout the past several days," she told Axios.

The Wall Street Journal editorial board said on Monday Iran’s attacks on Arab states, regional partners and European targets are further isolating Tehran and strengthening the coalition against its regime.

“Iran’s retaliation since the US-Israeli bombing began is so far helping to build the coalition against the ruling regime. By attacking Arab states and partners, Tehran makes a broader case against its own survival,” the editorial said.

“The Gulf states are angry. ‘They want to fight,’ Mr. Trump said Monday. ... Iran has even involved Europe by striking a French naval base in the UAE and a Kuwaiti air base used by Italy. ... Iran’s regime still has useful idiots on whom it can rely, but its retaliation has increased the need and grown the constituency for regime change,” the editorial added.