President Donald Trump has said the United States could 'take the oil in Iran' and potentially seize Kharg Island, the country’s main oil export terminal. His comments came as thousands of United States ground troops arrived in the Middle East. However, he later suggested that a deal with Iran could be reached very soon.

The Israeli military reported striking targets across the Iranian capital, with local accounts describing heavy explosions and widespread power outages. The developments signal rising tensions in the region amid ongoing diplomatic uncertainty.

In other news, a major rocket from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has returned to its launchpad after technical problems ahead of a planned mission to the far side of the moon. Tottenham Hotspur has parted ways with manager Igor Tudor by mutual consent, a British-born woman has become the first British mayor in France, and governments at a United Nations wildlife summit approved new international protections for forty species including giant otters and striped hyenas.