As Israeli jets hit targets in Iran on Friday morning, the US swiftly distanced itself from Benjamin Netanyahu’s choice to target Tehran, marking an escalation that threatens a full-scale war in the Middle East. This move indicates a breakdown of Donald Trump’s efforts to restrain the Israeli Prime Minister and significantly jeopardizes Trump’s attempts to negotiate an agreement with Iran that would prevent the country from pursuing a nuclear weapon. The strikes are expected to prompt an Iranian retaliation, which could escalate into a comprehensive war between Israel and Iran, a conflict Trump has been keen to avoid.
Senior US officials responded to the strikes by labeling them as a “unilateral” action, cautioning Iran against targeting US embassies and bases in the region. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that while Israel sought their justification for the action in terms of self-defense, the US remained committed to protecting American forces in the area and urged Iran not to target US interests or personnel.
Despite anticipations that Israel would delay launching strikes until after the US had concluded negotiations with Iran, tensions escalated with Trump pulling non-essential personnel out of embassies and bases in the Middle East. Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Middle East envoy, was set to meet with Iran for a sixth round of talks, which seemed to be a last-ditch effort for diplomacy. The strikes, however, occurred soon after Trump publicly discouraged the Netanyahu government from attacking Iran, suggesting such a move could jeopardize ongoing negotiations.
Trump expressed a desire to avoid conflict, stating a preference for a negotiated agreement. However, he also hinted that a strike could potentially force Iran into a deal that would limit its nuclear aspirations. Critics argue that the US retreat from the region, following Trump’s decision to leave the Iranian nuclear deal, has increased the likelihood of regional conflict. Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut points out that Iran’s closer approach to obtaining a nuclear weapon is partly due to the actions of Trump and Netanyahu, labeling the current situation a disaster of their making and suggesting that the region now faces the risk of spiraling into a new, deadly conflict.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/13/israels-strikes-on-iran-show-trump-is-unable-to-restrain-netanyahu-as-middle-east-slips-closer-to-chaos
