As US President Donald Trump's deadline looms with uncertainty over peace talks, the White House has denied using nuclear weapons against Iran.
US Vice President J D Vance sparked speculations after warning that the US has 'tools in our toolkit that we so far haven't decided to use' against Iran.
However, the White House clarified that Vance's remark did not imply the use of nuclear weapons, stating 'only the president knows' what he'll do on Iran.
Despite this, uncertainty remains over whether the two sides will arrive at peace talks, with negotiators pessimistic Iran will meet Trump's demands before the deadline.
A US official told Axios that the thinking in the White House has shifted from 'can we get there?' to 'can we get there by 8 o'clock tonight?'.
The negotiations are underway in Pakistan, but the peace talks face threats if Saudi Arabia were to retaliate, drawing Pakistan directly into conflict against Iran.
Iran has responded to Trump's 'whole civilization will die tonight' threat by saying 'civilizations don't die by bombing', with the Iranian Embassy in Thailand stating Iran will emerge stronger.
