Having failed to clearly define an objective or exit strategy — and sell the American public on a new war in Iran — President Donald Trump finds himself at an impasse, mere weeks into the conflict.

“We don’t know about Mojtaba Khamenei, we don’t hear him, we don’t see him, but I can tell you one thing: we will track him down, find him, and neutralise him,” military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin told reporters.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday that Iran’s powerful national security chief Ali Larijani was “eliminated last night”, along with the commander of the Islamic republic’s Basij paramilitary force.

Loud explosions shook Tehran Tuesday after a night of bombing, as US President Donald Trump pressed allies to help in the war that has engulfed the Middle East and sparked global economic turmoil.

China said on Tuesday it will provide humanitarian assistance to Middle Eastern countries, including Iran and Lebanon, targeted in US and Israeli strikes in the conflict now in its third week.