US officials say US not joining Israel’s war against Iran as Trump returns early from G7

CBS News’ Jennifer Jacobs reported that the US is "not joining" Israel’s offensive military operation against Iran, and that the National Security Council cabinet members "are already on standby 24 hours a day, including since Israel’s Operation Rising Lion began."

Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Sean Parnell said that "American Forces are maintaining their defensive posture & that has not changed. We will protect American troops & our interests."

This came after Trump urged people to "immediately evacuate Tehran," Iran’s capital city. Trump wrote, "Iran should have signed the 'deal' I told them to sign. What a shame, and waste of human life. Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran."

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Monday that he "directed the deployment of additional capabilities to the United States Central Command Area of Responsibility" over the weekend.

"Protecting US forces is our top priority and these deployments are intended to enhance our defensive posture in the region," Hegseth wrote.

The USS Nimitz, which is set to be decommissioned in 2026, is being moved by the Navy to the Middle East as part of a scheduled deployment to replace the Carl Vinson Strike Group. The strike group is seven months into its deployment and is set to be rotated out, the Navy Times reported.

The Nimitz had been conducting routine operations in the South China Sea, and recently made its way through the Strait of Malacca, near Malaysia.

A defense official said the move was not a direct response to escalating tensions in the Middle East, but acknowledged "that the attacks between the two nations ushered in a degree of immediacy for the deployment," the outlet reported.