President Donald Trump faced one of the most monumental decisions of his presidency on Tuesday as he debated whether to join a war against Iran that risked sucking Washington into a new Middle Eastern conflict but also offered the chance to eliminate a rival’s nuclear program.

Welcome to our live blog tracking the latest news and developments from the Middle East. Stay updated with real-time insights into the region's political developments, economic trends, and security situation.

Trump's change of tone is remarkable for coming less than a week after the US president -- who has openly talked about wanting to win the Nobel Peace Prize -- called on Israel to avoid strikes.

Benyamin Netanyahu made his point clear yesterday on ABC news: killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader, "would not provoke an escalation. It would end the conflict" with Iran. Netanyahu reveals his end goal: the fall of the Tehran regime.

Intense Israeli airstrikes targeted Iran’s capital early Wednesday after it issued a warning about a new area it could target, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump warned Tehran's residents to evacuate and demanded that the country surrender without conditions.

Donald Trump declared that, “for the first time in a thousand years, the world will look at this region not as a place of turmoil and strife, and war and death, but as a land of opportunity and hope.”

Trump's comments, delivered via social media, suggested a more aggressive stance toward Iran as he weighs whether to deepen U.S. involvement.