The United States is the main international backer of Israel, Iran's biggest regional foe. It is also a close ally of Sunni Gulf monarchies which for years pursued their own rivalry with the Islamic Republic, seeing it as their main regional threat.

The two sides were scheduled to meet for a sixth round of negotiations on Sunday. Oman, which was set to host the talks, said on Saturday that this round had been canceled.

Trump told the Wall Street Journal that he knew all about Israel’s plan ahead of time, that he wasn’t given a mere “heads-up.”

Throughout the day on Friday, Israel carried out wave upon wave of strikes on nuclear facilities and missile bases in Iran. The Natanz uranium enrichment site and the nuclear facility in Isfahan have been hit and top military leaders have been assassinated - as have nuclear scientists.

In sweeping attacks that started early Friday, Israel has struck at the regime in Tehran, targeting Iranian nuclear and military assets. The Israeli strikes have killed more than 70 people, including four top security chiefs, and damaged Iran’s main nuclear site at Natanz.

The United States has pulled some diplomatic staff and military families out of the Middle East, citing unspecified regional security risks.

Countries trade strikes as tensions grow over larger Middle East conflict - Iranian missiles struck an apartment building in the Galilee region, killing four people, as the countries exchanged fire

National security experts warn that Israel's attack on Iran shows why Chinese land and asset purchases in the U.S. pose a significant threat to American security.