Trump-Netanyahu Ties Show Strain as Iran War Drags On
The relationship between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears to be under increasing strain as the war with Iran continues without a swift resolution, according to an analysis published in The Guardian on Saturday. The report, which cites former Israeli diplomat Alon Pinkas, suggests that Netanyahu persuaded Trump to launch military action against Iran by presenting the Islamic Republic as a weakened regime on the verge of collapse, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) too feeble to mount a significant response.
Pinkas, a former consul general in New York, described Netanyahu as a "conman" who used Venezuela as an example of what the US and Israel could achieve in Iran. Netanyahu reportedly told Trump that together they could win the war in a matter of days, predicting that the Iranian people would rise up against their government and that the IRGC would not be able to attack US bases or allies effectively.
However, these assessments were contradicted by US intelligence and military officials, who warned of the risk of Iranian attacks on US allies in the Gulf and the possibility of the Strait of Hormuz being closed. Despite these warnings, Netanyahu and members of the Trump administration, including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, argued that the IRGC lacked the strength to carry out such actions.
By the end of March, with US bases having been attacked, the Strait of Hormuz closed, and no popular uprising in Iran, "there were signs that Trump was very disappointed with Netanyahu," Pinkas told The Guardian. Trump's public references to Israel and Netanyahu have since diminished, and Israel has reportedly been left out of the loop regarding negotiations.
The Guardian also noted Trump's condemnation of Israeli strikes on Iran's South Pars gas field, with Trump saying he had told Netanyahu "not to do that." This followed a period in which Trump had stopped mentioning Israel and Netanyahu in his public statements about the war, according to the report.
Netanyahu, for his part, broke a long silence over the conflict this week with a video message insisting he had "full coordination" with Trump, with whom he spoke "almost daily." His insistence on the strength of their relationship came amid widespread skepticism in the Israeli press and among observers, who speculated that the reality could be worse than imagined.
Pentagon Chief Rejects Claims of Israeli Influence
In response to the growing narrative of tension, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth categorically rejected suggestions that Israeli authorities had dragged Trump into a war with Iran. "Your question is based on the false premise that somehow President Trump is being pulled in by Prime Minister Netanyahu to any of these actions," Hegseth said, according to a report by Russian state news agency TASS on May 5.
Hegseth insisted that ultimate decisions regarding US-Israeli operations rest with the White House, while acknowledging that Israel's objectives sometimes differ from those of the United States. "Just to be clear: President Trump has led at every step of this [operation] based on his view of American interest in America first," he said. "And we're grateful that Israelis have been very capable partners at many steps of this [operation], and they may have some objectives at times that are slightly different than ours. But there's only one hand on the wheel ultimately directing this... and it's President Trump."
Conflicting Accounts of Trump's Disappointment
The question of Trump's current view of Netanyahu remains a point of contention. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh wrote in a recent column that Trump has lost confidence in Netanyahu, believing that the Israeli leader misled him about Iran. According to Hersh, Trump now believes that Netanyahu misrepresented the chances of success of the US-Israeli military operation aimed at bringing about a fundamental change of power in the Islamic Republic.
However, this claim has not been independently verified, and the Guardian's analysis relies on the testimony of Pinkas, who is described as a former Israeli diplomat. Hegseth's public statements directly contradict the notion that Netanyahu has undue influence over Trump's decisions, though he did concede that Israeli and US objectives are not always aligned.
The war, which began with a major assault on Iran on February 28, has not achieved the quick victory that Netanyahu reportedly promised. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted global oil supplies, and Iranian retaliation against US bases has raised concerns about a broader regional conflict. The failure of the Iranian people to rise up against their government, as Netanyahu had predicted, has further complicated the situation.
Perspectives on the Fraying Alliance
The reports from The Guardian and TASS offer contrasting perspectives on the state of the Trump-Netanyahu relationship. The Guardian's analysis, which draws on Israeli sources, portrays Netanyahu as the architect of a war that has gone badly, leading to Trump's disappointment and a cooling of their ties. TASS, reporting Hegseth's remarks, emphasizes Trump's leadership and rejects the idea that Netanyahu has manipulated him.
These differing accounts reflect the broader uncertainty surrounding the US-Israel relationship during a time of ongoing conflict. What remains clear is that the war with Iran has not proceeded as either leader may have hoped, and the strain is beginning to show in their public statements and actions. As the conflict continues, the durability of the Trump-Netanyahu alliance will likely face further tests.