Three former US president rejected Netanyahu’s Iran war plan: ex-US official

Former US secretary of state John Kerry has reportedly claimed that three former American presidents rejected a war proposal by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu targeting Iran, while President Donald Trump eventually approved it.

As per reports, Kerry said Netanyahu had presented the case for military action against Iran during previous US administrations, but Washington declined to proceed. “Netanyahu presented the Iran war case to us too. The response was no,” he said, adding that the proposal was based on assumptions that regime change would follow and trigger a popular uprising. “None of that happened,” he noted.

According to Kerry, former presidents Barack Obama, George W Bush and Joe Biden had all rejected the plan. He further alleged that the rationale behind such a war had been misrepresented.

Drawing parallels with past conflicts, Kerry referred to the Vietnam War and the Iraq War, cautioning against misleading the public and highlighting the human cost of military action. He said that the lesson of Vietnam and Iraq was not to lie to the American people or ask them to send their sons and daughters to fight.

The origins of the month-long conflict, which has reportedly left over 2,000 people dead in Iran and impacted the global economy, trace back to February 11, when Netanyahu visited the White House.

During the visit, Netanyahu is said to have pushed for a major strike on Iran and outlined a detailed plan. However, key members of Trump’s team reportedly rejected the proposal a day later, describing it as “farcical” and “bull****”, according to a report by The New York Times.

Despite initial resistance within his administration, Netanyahu’s proposal aligned with Trump’s views on weakening Iran’s leadership. Within two weeks, and despite internal differences, Trump approved what was described as ‘Operation Epic Fury’.