Donald Trump has approved a plan for a possible US military strike on Iran but has not yet made a final decision, according to reports by CBS and the Wall Street Journal. Sources told CBS that Trump is considering hitting the underground uranium enrichment facility at Fordo but held off to give Iran a chance to abandon its nuclear programme.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissed the US president’s push for an unconditional surrender, warning that any military action would be costly. “The Iranian nation will not surrender,” Khamenei said during a televised speech on Wednesday.

Trump responded to the rejection by saying, “Good luck,” while refusing to confirm his next steps. “I may do it, I may not do it,” he said. “Nobody knows what I’m going to do. Unconditional surrender – that means I’ve had it.”

Israel has continued its strikes on Iran, targeting missile sites and nuclear facilities. Iran responded by firing hypersonic missiles, but no serious damage was reported in Israel.

It was Khamenei’s first public appearance since Israeli pre-emptive strikes began on Friday. Iran’s mission to the United Nations mocked Trump on social media, posting, “Iran does NOT negotiate under duress, shall NOT accept peace under duress, and certainly NOT with a has-been warmonger clinging to relevance.”

The post added, “No Iranian official has ever asked to grovel at the gates of the White House. The only thing more despicable than his lies is his cowardly threat to ‘take out’ Iran’s supreme leader.”

The continued exchanges have led to panic in Tehran, where roads are jammed with residents fleeing the capital.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement that Israeli forces were “progressing step by step” to eliminate threats from Iran’s nuclear and missile programmes. “We control the skies over Tehran. We are striking with tremendous force at the regime of the ayatollahs,” he said.

Trump’s defence secretary Pete Hegseth told a Senate committee that the Pentagon was ready to carry out any order from the president. A US carrier strike group led by the USS Nimitz is heading to the Gulf to join the USS Carl Vinson group already stationed there, with F-22 and F-35 jets reportedly on the move.

The BBC said the US has not yet made a formal request to use UK military bases in Diego Garcia or Cyprus. A British source said Washington was keeping all options open.

The US embassy in Jerusalem has issued an evacuation plan for its citizens in Israel. It is still unclear how many Americans are seeking to leave or whether the US military will help with evacuation flights.

Since Israel began its offensive, 585 people have been killed in Iran, including 239 civilians and 126 security officers, according to Human Rights Activists. In response, Iran has fired around 400 missiles at Israel, killing 24 civilians, Israeli authorities said.

Meanwhile, Iranian state TV was briefly hacked to air a video calling on citizens to rise up against the regime. “If you notice irrelevant messages while watching TV, it is due to the enemy jamming satellite signals,” the state broadcaster later told viewers.