Iranian delegation arrives in Pakistan for talks with US (VIDEOS/PHOTOS)

The Trump administration is considering a plan to punish NATO members deemed unhelpful during the Iran war by relocating US troops out of their countries, according to administration officials cited by the Wall Street Journal.

The proposal would move American forces from nations that restricted airspace or base access – such as Spain, Germany, and Italy – and reposition them in more supportive countries like Poland, Romania, Lithuania, and Greece. Officials said the plan could also involve closing a US base in Spain or Germany.

The proposals fall short of Trump’s threats to quit NATO entirely. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to comment on the reports, but said Trump plans a “frank and candid conversation” with NATO’s chief.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte traveled to Washington on Wednesday to meet with Trump, seeking to deepen ties amid tensions within the bloc over the Iran war and the president’s past threats to leave NATO and annex Greenland.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it is “outraged by the devastating death and destruction in densely populated areas across Lebanon” following the latest Israeli strikes on the country.

In a statement that did not explicitly blame any party, the head of the ICRC’s delegation in Lebanon said “people across Lebanon were holding their breath for a ceasefire agreement, but a wave of deadly strikes plunged the country into panic and chaos.”

Vice President J.D. Vance said Iran’s frustration over three ceasefire issues “actually means that there’s a lot of agreements.” Speaking to reporters before leaving Hungary, Vance acknowledged that “ceasefires are always messy” with “a little bit of choppiness.”

“I think this comes from a legitimate misunderstanding. I think the Iranians thought the ceasefire included Lebanon, and it just didn’t. We never made that promise, we never indicated that was gonna be the case,” Vance said.

He also questioned the English skills of Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, saying “there are things that he said that just didn’t make sense in the context of the negotiations that we’ve had.”

It would be “dumb” for Tehran to walk away from the temporary ceasefire and negotiations with Washington, Vice President J.D. Vance added.

“If Iran wants to let this negotiation fall apart, in a conflict when they are getting hammered, over Lebanon – which has nothing to do with them and which the United Stated never once said was part of the ceasefire – that’s ultimately their choice. We think that would be dumb, but that's their choice,” he said.

Lebanese Prime Minister Dr. Nawaf Salam declared Thursday a national day of mourning, with government offices closed and flags flown at half-staff to honor the victims of the latest Israeli attacks that left at least 182 civilians dead and 890 injured on Wednesday alone. Health officials said Israeli strikes have killed at least 1,739 people and wounded 5,873 others in Lebanon since March 2.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called the disregard for life and international law shown by his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu “intolerable” following the deadliest day since the IDF launched attacks on Lebanon.

“It’s time to speak clearly: Lebanon must be included in the ceasefire. The international community must condemn this new violation of international law. The European Union must suspend its Association Agreement with Israel. And there must be no impunity for these criminal acts,” Sanchez wrote in a post on X.

Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Prevot said he was in Beirut to show support for the Lebanese people when Israel launched “one of the most massive strikes” since the hostilities began, hitting just a few hundred meters from the embassy where he was with his delegation.

“This must stop. The ceasefire between the US, Israel and Iran must include Lebanon,” Prevot wrote on X. He said the strike caused “hundreds of civilian victims” and came with “no previous warning.”

FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency’s Counterintelligence & Espionage Division in cooperation with its Justice Department partners has arrested a “former employee” of the United States Special Operations Command “who supported our top-level military warfighters“ for “allegedly transmitting classified information to a member of the media.”

READ MORE: Trump threatens to jail journalist over Iran rescue raid ‘leak’

“Let this serve as a message to any would-be leakers: we’re working these cases, and we’re making arrests. The FBI will not tolerate those who seek to betray our country and put Americans in harm’s way,” Patel wrote in a post on X, without naming the individual, specifying the classified details leaked, or tying it to the war with Iran or any other specific incident.

US President Donald Trump previously threatened to jail the journalist who first reported the details of a rescue mission for the two crew members of the US F-15E Strike Eagle which was shot down over Iran last week, unless they reveal the source of their information.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte held a closed-door meeting with President Donald Trump to discuss the war with Iran and the US president’s anger over the bloc’s refusal to provide assistance.

“This was a meeting between friends. Because we like each other. I really admire his leadership,” Rutte told CNN after the meeting.

Asked directly if he believed NATO countries were “tested and failed,” Rutte replied: “Some of them yes, but a large majority of European countries, and that’s what we discussed today, have done what they promised before in a case like this.”

The US-led bloc’s chief also refused to comment on Trump’s threat to destroy the entire Iranian civilization, saying “what I want you to know is that I support the president.”