Israeli officials have been pushing the United States to join the fray and use its huge bunker-busting bomb to crush Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

Shapiro served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East until January—charged with, among other things, considering scenarios in which tensions between Israel and Iran escalated into all-out war and preparing U.

When Israel launched its series of strikes against Iran last week, it also issued a number of dire warnings about the country’s nuclear program, suggesting Iran was fast approaching a point of no return in its quest to obtain nuclear weapons and that the strikes were necessary to preempt that outcome.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, as usual, was furious. “Anyone slobbering for the U.S. to become fully involved in the Israel/Iran war is not America First/MAGA,” she posted on X. “We have spent TRILLIONS in the Middle East and we have dealt with the aftermath of death, blown apart bodies, never ending suicides, and disabling PTSD.”

Israel had a plan to assassinate Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but President Trump vetoed the operation, according to reports.

Since Israel began its concerted attack on Iran on Friday, calls for regime change in Iran have grown louder – from hawks in the US Congress to Israeli officials and some Iranian activists abroad.

Experts suggest the U.S. has a strategic opportunity to leverage Iran's weakened position for a nuclear deal after Israel's targeted strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites.

Israel warns "Tehran will burn" if Iran continues firing missiles, while state media say 60 people have been killed in a strike on Iran's capital.