Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) said Friday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long desired to “drag” the United States into a military conflict with Iran.

Van Hollen, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, reiterated remarks made earlier in the week, in which he said Netanyahu successfully “outsmarted” President Donald Trump in shaping U.S. strategy toward Iran.

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“Prime Minister Netanyahu has always wanted to drag the United States into a war with Iran,” Van Hollen said during an appearance on CNN. “Remember, Prime Minister Netanyahu was a big cheerleader for the war in Iraq. And many people believed that would be ‘a cakewalk.’”

The senator also pointed to Netanyahu’s opposition to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, a nuclear agreement negotiated under the Obama administration that placed limits on Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.

Van Hollen’s remarks come amid heightened anxiety on Capitol Hill about the possibility of the U.S. taking military action against Iran. Lawmakers are particularly concerned about whether the Trump administration will authorize airstrikes without congressional approval. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt shared on Thursday that Trump has established a two-week deadline on whether the U.S. will militarize against Iran.

A bipartisan effort in Congress, led by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), is underway to demand that Congress authorize any future use of force against Iran. However, some senior Democratic leaders, such as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), have declined to back the measure, citing concerns over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Reports surfaced earlier this week that Trump had considered deploying a “bunker-buster” bomb to destroy Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility, a heavily fortified underground site.

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Meanwhile, Netanyahu has publicly reaffirmed his commitment to dismantling Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. In a recent interview with Israeli media, he declared that Israel is “ahead of schedule” in its military objectives and touted the success of airstrikes that have eliminated key figures in Iran’s military leadership and destroyed strategic assets.

“We are ahead of the schedule we set, both in terms of timing and results,” Netanyahu said. “The work has been outstanding.”