U.S. President Donald Trump demanded on Tuesday Iran's "unconditional surrender" amid mounting evidence showing the U.S. consideration of joining Israel's strikes against the country.
He also posted on social media sites on Tuesday that "we now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran" and warned that "Our patience is wearing thin."
Trump made the posts before he met with a national security team in the White House over the military conflict between Israel and Iran.
Earlier on his flight back to Washington from Canada, Trump said on Air Force One that he was not in the mood to continue talks with Iran. He said he was seeking a result that was "better than a cease-fire" between Israel and Iran but "an end, a real end."
AirNav systems, a flight tracking website, said that the U.S. had sent about over 30 refueling aircraft to Europe on Sunday.
In addition to the refueling tankers, the U.S. military is deploying F-16, F-22, and F-35 fighters and even moving the aircraft carrier Nimitz to the Middle East, according to U.S. government officials.
Meanwhile, the U.S. has also withdrawn troops from another two military bases in northeastern Syria.
Trump calls for Iran's 'unconditional surrender'
Trump calls for Iran's 'unconditional surrender'
Russia said on Monday that its armed forces had captured another settlement in the Kharkiv region, while Ukraine reported striking Russian targets and power outages following Russian attacks.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said in its latest report that over the past 24 hours, Russian forces struck 142 areas, including facilities used to transport Western-supplied weapons, as well as ammunition and fuel depots, and temporary deployment sites of Ukrainian forces and foreign mercenaries.
It said Russian forces also destroyed Ukrainian armored vehicles, various types of artillery and other military vehicles, while air defense units shot down 76 Ukrainian drones.
In addition, the ministry said Russian forces had taken control of the settlement of Vilcha in the Kharkiv region.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said on the same day that 223 combat engagements took place over the past 24 hours.
The Ukrainian Air Force, together with missile units and artillery, struck Russian personnel concentration areas and one key target.
The Ukrainian side said its forces repelled the Russian army's attacks in the directions of Kursk, Kupyansk, Lyman, and Pokrovsk.
Russian forces launched air strikes on power facilities in Odesa region, Zaporizhzhia region, Dnipropetrovsk region and Donetsk region in the early hours of Monday, according to Ukrainian media reports.
As of Monday morning, some areas in those regions were experiencing power outages.
Ukraine's largest private energy company, DTEK Group, said Russian forces attacked two of its power facilities in the Odesa region in the early hours of Monday, causing severe damage.
The company said repairs would take time, adding that continued air raid sirens have complicated the work. Technicians are working to restore key facilities and power supplies as soon as possible.
The Russian side has not commented on the attacks.
Russia captures one more settlement in Kharkiv, Ukraine reports power outages from Russian attacks
