A wider conflict could be in the offing in the Middle East with reports indicating that Israel is all set to strike Iran, that too without US aid. This comes amid speculation that the sixth round of nuclear talks between Iran and the US scheduled for Sunday in Oman would proceed.
Here are the five signs that Israel could launch airstrikes at the nuclear sites of Iran.
US moving its military personnel from Iraq
Fearing retaliation by Iran, the US has decided to withdraw diplomats from Iraq and authorise the voluntary departure of US military family members from the Middle East. A State Department official told The Washington Post that the decision to "reduce the footprint of the mission in Iraq was based on the latest analysis". "We are watching and worried. We think it’s more serious than any other time in the past," the diplomat added.
The State Department has also instructed American embassies operating within Tehran's potential attack range - including in Eastern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East - to hold internal emergency meetings and prepare for security scenarios.
Trump's statement
US President Donald Trump, who initially expressed confidence about reaching a deal with Iran, has now changed track, stating "he was less confident that Iran would agree to stop uranium enrichment in a nuclear deal with Washington."
"I’m less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago. Something happened to them, but I am much less confident of a deal being made," he said. Trump, however, made it clear that "Iran cannot have nuclear weapons".
US prepares strike plan
Gen. Michael Kurilla, the outgoing commander of the US Central Command, has already told American lawmakers that he had presented the White House with plans for a strike on Iran in case the nuclear talks fail. “I have provided the secretary of defence and the president a wide range of options,” said Kurilla.
General Kurilla had been scheduled to testify again on Thursday before the Senate Armed Services Committee but this has been postponed. No explanation was given.
Iranian warnings
An Iranian official told The New York Times that the military and political leadership in Tehran has met to discuss the possible retaliation to an Israeli strike. He hinted it would come as hundreds of ballistic missiles launched at Israel.
Iran had earlier stated that it would hold the US responsible if ever an attack happened. Tehran warned that "Americans will have to leave the region because all its military bases are within our reach and we will, without any consideration, target them in the host countries."
Maritime warnings
A maritime trade agency based in the UK has issued an alert stating that it had "been made aware of increased tensions within the region which could lead to an escalation of military activity having a direct impact on mariners." The public advisory issued by the agency also said commercial vessels transiting the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz to employ heightened caution.