Report: Former US ambassador to Israel becomes State Department point man on Iran  

Dan Shapiro will liaise between Jerusalem and Washington on issues related to negotiations with Iran. The goal is to prevent public disputes between the countries 

Former U.S. ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro has joined the State Department's Iran team as a senior adviser, journalist Barak Ravid from the Axios website said, quoting a senior State Department official.  

According to the report, Shapiro was in Washington ahead of the Biden-Bennett meeting and advised the State Department on several issues, though he did not meet the Israeli delegation, a source familiar with the issue said. 

Shapiro will spend half of his time in Israel, where he will work out of the U.S. embassy, and half in Washington, State Department officials say. 

One of his main missions will be to engage in discussions with the Prime Minister’s Office, the Foreign Ministry and the Defense Ministry to enhance coordination and allow a more intimate dialogue about Iran.

In December 2020, after Biden was elected, Shapiro wrote an opinion article for the Washington Post in which he called on the U.S. and Israel to enter into a close dialogue. 

He recommended drafting a joint strategy on Iran and avoiding public disputes like when the initial nuclear deal was completed in 2015.