U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday called Iran the "most destructive force" in the Middle East, blaming Tehran for instability across the region and warning that the United States will never allow it to obtain a nuclear weapon.

Iran's army chief of staff said the Islamic Republic's armed forces are at peak combat and intelligence readiness, warning that while enemies may start a conflict, Iran will decide how and where it ends,

President Donald Trump’s confirmation Sunday that the United States may accept a presidential aircraft gifted from Qatar marked the latest escalation in his clash with Boeing, which is years behind on its government contract to build the new Air Force One.

The nation of Qatar offered the Trump administration a Boeing 747-8 for use as Air Force One. Trump called the plane a "gift," in a post on his social media site, Truth Social. A representative of the administration clarified that Qatar "has offered to donate a plane to the Department of Defense," not to Trump himself.

U.S. officials say it could be converted into a potential presidential aircraft to replace the 40 year old Air Force One. The Qatari government said a final decision hadn’t been made.