Diplomacy first but military options remain: US; Iran vows to defend itself against \u201cany adventurism\u201d
\nWashington
\nThe United States government has issued an urgent travel advisory for its citizens in Iran, citing \u201cincreased security measures, road closures, disruptions to public transport, and ongoing internet blockages across the country.\u201d
\nThe advisory was issued by the US Virtual Embassy in Iran, urging its citizens to leave the West Asian country. In a statement on its website, the embassy urged citizens to prepare an exit plan from Iran that does not depend on US government assistance.
\nThose unable to leave were advised to stay in a \u201csecure location\u201d or other safe building. The advisory also recommended keeping a stock of food, water, and medications, and staying alert to local media for the latest updates.
\nThe advisory came as the two countries hold talks in Oman on Friday, amid rising tensions, with the US deploying forces to the Middle East \u2014what President Donald Trump has called a massive \u201carmada\u201d \u2014 while regional actors aim to prevent what many fear could escalate into a broader conflict.
\nThe White House said that diplomacy is Trump\u2019s first choice for dealing with Iran, and he will wait to see whether a deal can be struck at high-stakes talks, but also warned that he has military options at his disposal.
\nThe US previously said it wanted the discussions to include Iran\u2019s missile arsenal and other issues, while Tehran has insisted on focusing exclusively on its disputed nuclear program. It was unclear whether that disagreement had been resolved.
\n\u201cThe president\u2019s diplomacy is always his first option when it comes to dealing with countries all around the world, whether it\u2019s our allies or our adversaries,\u201d White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters when asked about the coming talks.
\n\u2018Iran will defend itself \u2018
\nAhead of Omani-mediated talks, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran is ready to defend itself against \u201cexcessive demands or adventurism\u201d by the US.
\nThe Islamic Republic will adopt the \u201capproach of using diplomacy to secure Iran\u2019s national interests,\u201d Araghchi said during a meeting in Muscat with Badr al-Busaidi, Oman\u2019s foreign minister.
\nIran maintains \u201cfull readiness to defend the country\u2019s sovereignty and national security against any excessive demands or adventurism\u201d by the United States, Araghchi added, as US President Donald Trump refuses to rule out military action against Tehran.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Diplomacy first but military options remain: US; Iran vows to defend itself against \u201cany adventurism\u201d Washington The United States government has issued an urgent travel advisory for its citizens in Iran, citing \u201cincreased security measures, road closures, disruptions to public transport, and ongoing internet blockages across the country.\u201d The advisory was issued by the US […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":529942,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-529929","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n