Amid ongoing strikes between Israel and Iran, Trump is publicly and privately making clear his desire to keep the United States out of the fray for now.

The conflict, the most intense fighting between the two countries in decades, has been met in the United States with feelings of “frustration and helplessness,” as well as heartbreak.

The Israelis had the opportunity to assassinate Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Trump conveyed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that it wasn't a "good idea," one U.S. official told CBS News.

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

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.

Israeli ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, said the goal in the war against Iran is not to contain it but to win it, as the two countries continue to exchange strikes for a third

The oil price surged more than 7 per cent on Friday after news of the attack hit commodity traders' screens, and any thought of the price staying below $US60 a barrel this year now seems dead.

President Donald Trump said Sunday the United States is not involved in Israel's military strikes against Iran, but "it's possible we could get involved." In an interview with ABC News' Rachel Scott,

DUBAI — Israel unleashed airstrikes across Iran for a third day Sunday and threatened even greater force as some Iranian missiles evaded Israeli air defenses to strike buildings in the heart of the country. Planned talks on Iran’s nuclear program, which could provide an offramp, were canceled.

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.