TEHRAN - U.S. President Donald Trump launched his war against Iran not in the interest of the United States, but for Israel. That is the view of prominent American figures who have criticized the illegal attacks.

The most notable criticism so far came from Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, who resigned in protest. In his resignation letter, Kent stated that Iran "posed no imminent threat to our nation," directly contradicting the administration’s public justification for the war. He went further, writing, "it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful lobby." Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, who was an important contributor to Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, echoed this sentiment, arguing that the war violates the "America First" principle and that Israel—not the United States—chose the timing.

In congressional testimony, even top intelligence officials struggled to align their assessments with White House rhetoric. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard acknowledged a fundamental divergence in objectives, telling lawmakers that "the objectives that have been laid out by the president are different from the objectives that have been laid out by the Israeli government." She noted that Israel is focused on targeting Iran's leadership while the U.S. aims to degrade military capabilities. When pressed by Representative Joaquin Castro on whether U.S. and Israeli goals were aligned, Gabbard declined to give a direct answer.

Several lawmakers have also voiced frustration. Senator Mark Warner called the conflict a "war of choice," emphasizing that "there was no imminent threat to the United States." Senator Jon Ossoff echoed this view, pressing Gabbard on the "imminent threat" assessment—which she ultimately declined to endorse, deferring to the president.

But what Israeli interests could this war serve anyway? Many experts point to the "Greater Israel" project, a vision of an expanded Jewish state that includes not only Palestinian territories but also large parts of nearly every Arab country, as well as Turkey. It also requires that no powerful government exist in the region, meaning Iran must be eliminated. The U.S. envoy to Israel has clearly indicated that this is Israel’s plan and that Washington must help advance it.

The envoy’s remarks came during an interview with Carlson, recorded on Wednesday, February 18, and released on Friday, February 20, 2026. During the conversation, Carlson referenced a biblical interpretation from Genesis suggesting that the land from the Euphrates River to the Nile belongs to the "people of Israel." He then asked the ambassador whether he believed the Israeli regime had a right to that territory. Ambassador Huckabee responded: "It would be fine if they took it all."

Just ten days after those remarks, the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran while Tehran and Washington were in the middle of nuclear negotiations.