‘To keep citizens informed’: US creates Middle East Task Force amid Israel-Iran conflict
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "‘To keep citizens informed’: US creates Middle East Task Force amid Israel-Iran conflict")
US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce speaks during a press briefing at the State Department in Washington, DC, on April 15, 2025. Photograph: (AFP)
This comes after US President Donald Trump returned from the Group of Seven summit a day early.
The United States State Department on Tuesday (Jun 17) said that Washington is setting up a round-the-clock task force to help Americans in the Middle East amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.
This comes after US President Donald Trump returned from the Group of Seven summit a day early. He held a National Security Council meeting to discuss the Israel-Iran conflict, a White House official said, reported AFP.
“The Department of State has established the Middle East Task Force to help coordinate support for us, citizens, our US diplomatic missions and personnel and diplomatic engagement,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters during a press briefing on Tuesday.
“The task force is operating 24 hours a day over the past week to help keep us citizens informed. We have issued more than 30 security alerts to countries in the region and updated travel advisories for Iraq and Israel,” she said.
Trump earlier said that he knows the exact location of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but will not target him, at least for now.
“We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there – We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
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He warned, however, that US patience is wearing thin. “But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Trump’s remarks came shortly after he declared that the US had achieved “complete and total control” of Iranian airspace, suggesting that the US may get directly involved in the ongoing conflict between the two foes, Israel and Iran.
Trump’s post comes after media reports suggesting that he had recently turned down a proposal by Israel to assassinate Ayatollah Khamenei.
