Former US president Barack Obama says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used the same arguments to convince US President Donald Trump to launch a war with Iran that the Israeli premier used on him over a decade ago.
Obama tells The New Yorker that he wasn’t convinced that military action against Iran would have actually addressed the threats posed by the regime.
“I think my prognosis was accurate,” he says, as the US, after striking Iran, is still entertaining many of the trade-offs that Trump criticized Obama for making in the 2015 nuclear deal.
In successfully convincing Trump to strike Iran, it may be that Netanyahu has “gotten what he wanted. Whether that’s what is ultimately best for the Israeli people, I would question that,” Obama argues.
“Whether I think it’s what is good for the United States and America, I would question that,” he adds.
“I think there’s an ample record of my differences with Mr. Netanyahu,” Obama notes.
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