Netanyahu's influence over Trump's Iran policy
A claim that Israel steered Trump into striking Iran is bad news for anyone hoping the conflict winds down soon.
- Netanyahu is described as taking the lead role at a White House meeting, with Trump deferring to him.
- Israel's spy chiefs pushed for a strike on a gathering of Iran's leadership in Tehran, and Trump agreed.
- The January protests in Iran are framed as a foreign-backed operation, not a genuine uprising.
- The bet that Iranians would topple their own government failed, and the government is stronger.
- The real goal was never regime change but locking the US into open-ended escalation with Iran.
Outlook: Expect the standoff with Iran to grind on, with the US pulled deeper in rather than stepping back.