Iran-US war latest: Trump threatens to ‘blow the entire nation up’ after Tehran warns of ‘painful strikes’

Donald Trump has threatened to “blow the entire nation up” in another bombastic rant against the Iranian regime , amid concerns the US is planning to scale up its war in the region.

Speaking to Fox’s Trey Yingst, the US president said the “question” was “if and when” it would be required to “blow the entire nation up” if Tehran failed to agree to his demands.

“They better behave,” Yingst said the president told him of Iran’s government, adding that the choices included “wiping them out, letting Iran rot economically, or making a deal”.

It comes after Tehran warned the US and Middle East regions they will be targeted by “painful strikes” if they make “any mistake” against Iran.

It comes as the US State Department issued a security alert warning Americans in the Middle East that hostilities between Saudi Arabia and the Iran -backed Houthis in Yemen had the “potential to escalate rapidly”.

At least 11 US embassies in the region issued a warning that travel disruptions are possible.

US president Donald Trump said he is in “deciding mode” over the Iran war, warning that “big things are going to happen”.

His remarks come as both the US and Iran exchange threats again. Tehran also said it had shared its conditions with Washington, through mediators, for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Mr Trump told Fox News he was in “deciding mode” and warned that "very big things are going to be happening in the not-so-distant future” if the Iranian regime does not “behave”.

"My question is, if and when do I blow the entire nation up? They had better behave,” he said.

He discussed three possible options for the war: “wiping Iran out,” “letting them rot economically”, or “making a deal.

British intelligence has issued a warning after finding Iranian spies have targeted dissidents with spyware that can enable tracking of their movements.

Dissidents, activists and journalists were targeted by state actors that impersonated their contacts on messaging apps to trick them into downloading spyware called Chosen Brick, the National Cyber Security Centre, part of GCHQ, warned.

The malware gave agents access to the person’s contacts, emails and social media messages as well as a device’s microphone and content on the screen.