Obama says Netanyahu pushed same Iran war arguments to him, Trump
Former US President Barack Obama has revealed that Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeatedly attempted to persuade him to launch a war on Iran, using arguments similar to those later presented to Donald Trump.
In an interview with The New Yorker, Obama said his disagreements with Netanyahu were well established, casting doubt on whether the Israeli leader’s approach ultimately served US or Israeli interests.
“I think my prognosis was accurate,” Obama stated, adding that while Netanyahu may have achieved his objectives, “whether that’s what is ultimately best for the Israeli people… or what is good for the United States, I would question that.”
The former president noted an "ample record" of differences with Netanyahu.
Netanyahu had strongly opposed the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers, which was signed under the Obama administration before being scrapped by Trump in 2018.
Obama also addressed escalating rhetoric from Trump toward Iran, stressing that US leadership must uphold fundamental principles of human dignity and avoid decisions driven by “hubris and pure self-interest.”
He warned that failing to adhere to such values could lead to dangerous global consequences, emphasizing the risks of unchecked escalation in confrontations involving major powers.
Trump is a 'hostage' and 'slave' to 'Israel', Tucker Carlson tells NYT
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and many of his supporters in the United States are holding President Donald Trump "hostage", American media figure Tucker Carlson said in a recent confrontational interview with the New York Times.
Carlson, who has recently spoken out against the Zionist lobby in Washington, particularly after the aggression on Iran was launched jointly by the United States and "Israel", said that Trump appears to be a "hostage" and "slave" to foreign powers, not only because he started the February 28 war on Iran, but "because he couldn’t get out of it."
"Trump could not restrain Netanyahu," he said, adding that Netanyahu is the only person Trump could not threaten with detrimental consequences should he refuse a settlement with Iran.
He also noted that Trump could not even criticize Netanyahu for obstructing the ceasefire with Iran. "That’s slavery. That is total control of one man by another," he scoffed, expressing frustration with the American president, who has, so far, placed "Israel" first.