‘From defence to offence’: Iran warns of pre-emptive strikes as Trump ramps up threats

NEW: Iran warns it will shift 'from defence to offence' with pre-emptive strikes as Trump ramps up threats ahead of tough new US sanctions expected Monday.

Iran says it's shifting from defence to offence. That's the word from Tehran, pre-emptive strikes are now on the table.

The timing is not an accident. Washington is expected to roll out tough new sanctions on Monday, and President Trump has spent the week ramping up his own threats. You can see him here, fist raised, giving no sign of backing down.

And in Tehran, the messaging is just as loud. These billboards tell you exactly what the government wants its people to hear, that Iran will not sit and absorb the pressure this time.

So here's where we stand. One side is promising sanctions in forty eight hours, the other is openly discussing striking first. Neither has left itself an easy way to climb down, and that is the most dangerous part of all of this. The distance between rhetoric and action just got very short.

This is Sara White, reporting for HIT.