The Israel Defence Forces says its air force has struck a devastating blow to Iran, taking out one of its “most central” facility for wreaking havoc.

The “hardliners” now in charge of Iran are reportedly more determined than ever to seek nuclear weapons. And in equally troubling news, the regime claims to have a million fighters ready to resist any US ground operation, should Donald Trump order one.

The usual caveats apply here. We’re in the middle of a war, and all sides involved are engaging in their own forms of propaganda.

With the Revolutionary Guards now dominant following the killing of veteran Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei at the start of the war, hardline views on Iran’s nuclear approach are ascendant, two senior Iranian sources said,” Reuters reports.

Those sources said the war has convinced Iranian leaders they have “nothing to gain from holding back from building a nuclear bomb”.

“Iranian state media, meanwhile, claims more than one million troops have been mobilised in preparation for a US ground invasion to reopen the Strait of Hormuz,” Reuters adds.

“The buildup comes amid growing threats from Trump to seize Kharg Island, a key oil hub that helps control the vital waterway.”

Mr Trump is reportedly moving towards ordering a “ground operation” against the regime in an effort to deliver a “final blow”, even as he speaks publicly about negotiating with it.

The Times of Israel, citing an official from one of the third-party countries mediating between the US and Iran, says Mr Trump “appears to be leaning towards ordering a ground operation against Iran”.

The report says America is “convinced Tehran will buckle under such military pressure”.

“The official, intimately familiar with the mediation efforts, says the US privately recognises that Iran isn’t likely to agree to the concessions presented in Washington’s 15-point plan and has dispatched thousands of troops to the region in order to capture Tehran’s Kharg Island on Trump’s orders,” it reports.

“A second official from a mediating country warns that while the US may be able to capture the island, holding onto it for an extended period of time will require many more soldiers and an extended period of fighting — far beyond the four-to-six week window that Washington has told the public the war would last. While Saturday will be the four-week mark, the US still claims to be well ahead of schedule.”