Kathmandu, 18 June – U.S. President Donald Trump, after holding a meeting with the national security team at the White House regarding the Iran-Israel conflict, has decided to deploy additional fighter jets and B-52 bombers to the Middle East.

Reports say Trump is planning to use bunker-buster bombs on Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility and may use tanker aircraft to refuel Israeli planes.

The U.S. has stated that ending Iran’s nuclear program is its primary objective. Trump, in a late-night post on social media platform Truth Social, warned Iran to surrender unconditionally.

He wrote, “We now have complete control over Iran’s airspace. We know very well where the Supreme Leader (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei) is hiding. Reaching him is easy, but we are not going to kill him right now.” In a third post, he wrote simply, “Unconditional surrender!”

Meanwhile, Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei responded with a post on social media platform X. Declaring that war has begun, he wrote, “We must give a strong response to the terrorist Jewish regime. We will show no mercy to the Jews.”

In the ongoing conflict over the past five days, 224 people have reportedly died in Iran, and 1,481 have been injured. In Israel, 24 people have died and more than 600 have been injured.

French President Emmanuel Macron has called for a ceasefire and emphasized the need for dialogue. Jordan’s King Abdullah warned that this conflict could lead to regional instability. The war has led to a 7.5% increase in oil prices, which could impact the global economy.