Obama: Netanyahu tried to persuade me 10 years ago to wage war on Iran

Former US President Barack Obama revealed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump resorted to the same arguments that he tried to persuade him more than a decade ago to push him to launch a war on Iran.

In an interview with The New Yorker, Obama said he was never convinced that the military option against Iran would address the real threats posed by the Iranian regime.

"I think my prediction was accurate," he said, adding that even after striking Iran, the United States still finds itself facing the same difficult equations in which Trump has long criticized Obama's 2015 nuclear deal.

Obama questioned in a tone of no doubt whether Netanyahu, after successfully persuading Trump to strike Iran, had "got what he wanted," adding, "But is this ultimately best for the Israeli people? I doubt that."

His skepticism extended to the U.S. interest as well: "And do I think it's in the interest of the United States? I doubt that as well," he said, adding, "I think the record of my disagreements with Mr. Netanyahu speaks for itself."

Obama: Trump doesn't respect human dignity

Obama also touched on Trump's threats in early April to wipe out Iranian civilization, commenting, "I think American leadership must reflect genuine respect for human dignity and honor, not only within our borders but also beyond it..This is an  integral part of the responsibility of leadership.If we don't express our core values, if we don't acknowledge that there are innocent people living under bad governments who deserve our attention, if we don't avoid arrogance and sheer self-interest, the world could collapse in very bad ways."

In April, the New York Times  revealed  details of a crucial meeting  in February that brought together Trump, Netanyahu and top national security officials from both the U.S. and Israeli sides.

During the meeting, Israeli officials presented Trump with an ambitious regime-change war plan, promising a near-certain victory and weakening Iran to the point of blocking the Strait of Hormuz.

Despite these reports, the Trump administration has repeatedly denied that Israel played a pivotal role in the decision to launch Operation Epic Fury, and Netanyahu has denied this, too.

John Kerry unveils unprecedented backstage

Former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, during a series of interviews in April 2026, made one of the strongest criticisms of the current war against Iran, revealing details that he described as "historical backstories" of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's attempts to push the United States into this conflict for years.

In an interview with MS Now on April 10, Kerry said that Netanyahu had presented plans to strike Iran to three previous U.S. presidents—George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden—but they all rejected those proposals. He added that President Donald Trump was "the only president who responded" to Netanyahu's request, arguing that it led to the current war.

Kerry criticized what he called the "lies" that accompanied the justification of the war, saying that Netanyahu's argument relied on the idea that "the Iranian regime will collapse and the people will rise up" as soon as the strike was taken, which did not materialize, and Kerry cited the lessons of Vietnam and Iraq to warn against "misleading the American people" and sending troops into an unnecessary war.

Kerry: Trump has failed to perform the greatest duties of the presidency

Kerry described the war as a "failure to perform the greatest presidential duties," warning of serious strategic and economic repercussions, most notably giving Iran "effective control" over the Strait of Hormuz for the first time, which he saw as a threat to the global economy.

He also criticized Trump's remarks in which he spoke of "destroying an entire civilization," arguing that they contradict international values and could put the president in serious charges.

In another interview with CNN on April 23, Kerry called on the U.S. and Iranian sides to return to the negotiating table, stressing that the only solution lies in an agreement similar to the 2015 deal he co-drafted, stressing the need to "act like adults" to end the conflict before it expands further.