“Leave Iran now”: US urges citizens to depart Iran

• The US State Department issued an urgent "leave now" advisory for all Americans in Iran
• While President Trump confirmed that the US military is considering "very strong" options, including air strikes, a private diplomatic backchannel between special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian officials remains open.

The United States’ “Virtual embassy” in Tehran urged its citizens to leave Iran immediately, as the country is embroiled with nationwide protests in addition to reports of possible ‘Israeli’ or American military action against the Islamic Republic.

“US citizens should expect continued internet outages, plan alternative means of communication, and, if safe to do so, consider departing Iran by land to Armenia or Türkiye,” the statement said.

It added that US citizens should “leave Iran now” and have a plan for that “does not rely on US government help” for departing.

Trump is considering air strikes on Iran, the White House said Monday, adding that people were being "killed on the streets."

But a channel for diplomacy remains open, with Iran taking a "far different tone" in private discussions with Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, said Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

"One thing President Trump is very good at is always keeping all of his options on the table. And air strikes would be one of the many, many options that are on the table for the commander in chief," Leavitt told reporters outside the West Wing.

Leavitt added that "diplomacy is always the first option for the president."

"What you're hearing publicly from the Iranian regime is quite different from the messages the administration is receiving privately, and I think the president has an interest in exploring those messages," Leavitt added.

Iran's foreign ministry said earlier Monday that a channel of communication was open between its top diplomat Abbas Araghchi and Trump's special envoy, despite a lack of diplomatic relations.

Trump said on Sunday that the US military was considering "very strong options" against Iran, saying it "looks like" Tehran had crossed his previously stated red line of protesters being killed.

He said Iran's leaders had reached out for a meeting but "we may have to act before a meeting."