LIVE: Iran FM may leave for Pakistan for talks: Reports

Trump signals restraint, rules out nuclear use against Iran

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said nuclear weapons would not be used in the ongoing conflict with Iran, arguing that American conventional strikes had already inflicted heavy damage.

Addressing reporters at the White House, Trump said there was no justification for deploying nuclear arms. He maintained that Iran had already been “decimated” through conventional means and stressed that such weapons should never be used.

"Why would I use a nuclear weapon? We've totally, in a very conventional way, decimated them without it," Trump told reporters at the White House when asked whether he would use such a weapon. "No, I wouldn't use it. A nuclear weapon should never be allowed to be used by anybody," he added.

On the diplomatic front, Trump indicated he is not rushing into an agreement with Tehran, saying he is focused on securing a durable, long-term deal rather than a quick resolution.

He noted that Iran may have attempted to rebuild parts of its military during a recent two-week ceasefire, but asserted that any such recovery could be rapidly undone. According to him, Iran’s naval forces, air force and air defence systems have been largely destroyed.

Meanwhile, USS George HW Bush has entered the area of operations under US Central Command, becoming the third US aircraft carrier deployed in the region amid a fragile pause in hostilities. The carrier is currently in the Indian Ocean, while the USS Abraham Lincoln is stationed in the Arabian Sea and the USS Gerald F Ford is in the Red Sea.