Trump met with advisers on Iran options, sources say

The State Department is actively considering relaunching a 24/7 task force to help Americans stranded in the Middle East due to rapid escalation, two U.S. officials tell ABC News.

The task force would be similar to the one formed in the opening weeks of the conflict, when the department rushed to respond to requests from thousands of Americans suddenly stranded in the Middle East.

This comes as more airlines are cancelling planned flights and expressing to the department that they may extend suspensions. The State Department does not appear to be doing anything to dissuade carriers from taking these steps, but rather, it seems to be acknowledging the risk and focusing its attention on dealing with the potential fallout.

-ABC News' Shannon Kingston

The U.S. is conducting airstrikes against Iranian military targets for the 13th consecutive night, U.S. Central Command said Thursday.

The strikes are "aimed to hold Iran accountable and diminish threats from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to commercial shipping," CENTCOM said.

President Donald Trump claimed in a social media post that any further damage done to "Ships, Cargo, or anything related thereto" will be paid for by Iranian assets seized by the U.S.

"Please let this statement serve to represent, until further notice, that from this point forth, any and all damages done to Ships, Cargo, or anything related thereto, will be paid for by Iranian Money that the United States has in its possession, and controls," Trump said in the post Thursday.

The president did not specify locations where his new decree applies, nor did he specify which seized assets will be used to pay for the damages.

"These damages may be very substantial but, nevertheless, this is the fair and equitable thing to do," Trump added in the post.

-ABC News' Michelle Stoddart

President Donald Trump is considering a range of options to dramatically escalate American military strikes on Iran, two senior administration officials told ABC News chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl on Thursday.

The officials said that among options the president is considering is a return the level of full-scale attacks seen during the opening days of Operation Epic Fury -- and possible even more so.

The officials point to Secretary of State Marco Rubio's comments earlier Thursday, in which he said Iran would pay a disproportionate price for their actions -- far beyond "an eye for an eye," referencing remarks he said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made recently.

"The president's policy is a head for an eye. I mean, honestly, that's what it's going to be. I mean, they will pay a very heavy price," Rubio said Thursday morning at the ASEAN Summit in the Philippines.