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.

Hours after a top Iranian military official on Monday claimed that Pakistan has assured launching a nuclear attack against Israel if the latter dropped a nuclear bomb on Iran, a shaken Islamabad termed the news as "fake" which it said has even been carried by the British press.

Iran will take even tougher action against Israel if attacks escalate President Masoud Pezeshkian warned during a cabinet meeting in Tehran on Sunday. He spoke after both sides launched fresh attacks on each other overnight into Sunday.

Despite stunning early successes in Israel’s unprecedented strikes on Iran, a weekend of intensive bombardment and retaliation is raising questions about Israel’s exit strategy – how it can end this conflict with its ambitious goals achieved.

Israel's conflict with Iran represents far more than another Middle Eastern crisis—it marks the emergence of a dangerous new chapter in nuclear rivalries that has the potential to reshape global proliferation risks for decades to come.

Israel's military said on Tuesday it had killed Ali Shadmani, who it identified as Iran's armed forces' chief of staff and said was the most senior military commander. (Reporting by Jana Choukeir; Editing by Alex Richardson) Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.