First Thing: Trump says ‘likely more’ deaths of US troops before Iran conflict ends

Trump cited debunked claims in video address that Iran was on verge of nuclear weapons to justify US casualties. Plus, the teacher who exposed Putin’s primary school propaganda Don’t already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up here Good morning. Donald Trump recorded a new video address yesterday, vowing to avenge three American deaths after the joint US-Israel strikes on Iran and accusing the Iranian regime of “waging war against civilization itself”. What is Trump’s plan? It’s unclear but he is under pressure to spell out his vision for Iran . Trump’s critics are demanding that the White House provide greater clarity about what comes next. Opponents and analysts say the lack of a clear plan outlined so far has created a danger of the US being sucked into a long-lasting conflict of the sort that Trump repeatedly vowed to avoid. This is a developing story. Follow our liveblog here . How many flights have been cancelled? Early on Monday, 1,239 flights had already been cancelled. Emirates, based in Dubai; Etihad Airways, based in Abu Dhabi; and Qatar Airways, based in Doha, have collectively cancelled hundreds of flights. Almost 2,800 flights were cancelled on Saturday, and 3,156 were cancelled on Sunday, according to the tracking platform FlightAware. Continue reading...