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Former US Secretary of State John Kerry has revealed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously proposed a military conflict with Iran to multiple American leaders, all of whom rejected the overture.
During an appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Kerry detailed how previous administrations resisted the push for war. Discussing the internal deliberations, Kerry noted, "Obama said no. Bush said no. President Biden said no. I mean, I was part of those conversations." The former official explained that past presidents declined to engage in a war with Tehran because they had not "exhausted all the remedies of peaceful process". Reflecting on his experiences as a Vietnam veteran, Kerry argued that the conflicts in Vietnam and Iraq provide a vital lesson in transparency. He emphasised the importance of not deceiving the public before committing troops to battle. "And speaking as a veteran of the Vietnam War, where decisions like that were so critical, we were lied to about what that war was about, and the lesson of that war and of Iraq is don't lie to the American people and then ask them to send their sons and daughters to fight," Kerry stated. The former Secretary of State further dismissed the arguments presented by the Israeli leader, describing the presentation as a "prediction". He noted that the claims regarding a domestic uprising or a transition in power failed to materialise, stating that none of the anticipated "regime change" occurred. However, a report by the New York Times suggested that Prime Minister Netanyahu found a more receptive audience in President Donald Trump. During a high-level meeting in the Situation Room on 11 February, the Prime Minister reportedly made a "hard sell", arguing that the Islamic Republic was "ripe for regime change". The report indicated that Netanyahu expressed a firm "belief that a joint U.S.-Israeli mission could finally bring an end to the Islamic Republic". In response to the proposal, President Trump reportedly remarked, "Sounds good to me," effectively providing a green light for the joint operation. Despite the President's initial support, the strategy has faced internal scrutiny. According to Axios, US Vice President JD Vance recently held a tense discussion with the Israeli Premier, questioning the "overly rosy assumptions" regarding the conflict. The report suggests that Vance challenged Netanyahu's confidence concerning the probability of "regime change". A US official told the outlet that "Before the war, Bibi really sold it to the president as being easy, as regime change being a lot likelier than it was. And the VP was clear-eyed about some of those statements." (ANI)
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