US President Donald Trump on June 21 announced that it has carried out a "very successful attack" against Iran's key nuclear sites, with Tehran's key facilities "totally obliterated".
Trump said US forces struck Iran's three principal nuclear sites: Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow. He told Fox News six bunker-buster bombs were dropped on Fordow, while 30 Tomahawk missiles were fired against other nuclear sites.
In a speech that lasted just over three minutes, Trump said Iran's future held "either peace or tragedy," and that there were many other targets that could be hit by the US military.
However, this major escalation comes after Trump had himself imposed a two-week deadline on any US attacks against Iran despite Israel's wishes.
So, how was the US convinced for the attack?
Top officials from the Israel government lobbied with the US administration and told them that they don't want to wait for two weeks for Tehran to agree for a deal to dismantle key part of its nuclear program, saying they could act alone before the deadline, Reuters reported citing sources.
This came at a time when the US government was already debating whether America should join Israel's campaign against Iran at all.
Reuters reported that Israel communicated its concerns to the senior officials of the Trump administration on Thursday in "tense phone call". The phone call was attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz and military chief Eyal Zamir, the report said.
The Israeli officials said they do not want to wait the two weeks that Trump presented on Thursday as a deadline for deciding whether the US will get in the Israel-Iran war, the report said citing sources.
Why Israel wanted US to drop two-week deadline
The Israelis believe they have a limited window of opportunity to move against the deeply buried site at Fordow, the crown jewel of Iran's nuclear program, said the sources. The US is the only country with the bunker-busting bombs powerful enough to reach the facility, which is dug into the side of a mountain.
The attack against Iran became a possibility on Saturday when it was reported that the US moved B-2 bombers to the Pacific island of Guam. The B-2 can be equipped to carry America's 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, designed to destroy targets deep underground, such as the one at Fordow.
A person in Washington familiar with the matter said Israel has communicated to the US administration that it believes Trump's window of up to two weeks is too long and that more urgent action is needed. The person did not say whether the Israelis made that point during the high-level call, according to Reuters.
During the call, Vice President JD Vance pushed back, saying the US should not be directly involved and suggesting that the Israelis were going to drag the country into war, said the sources. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also participated in the call, a security source told Reuters.
With agency inputs
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