NYT: Netanyahu lobbied Trump for months to strike Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was the driving force behind US President Donald Trump's decision to launch war against Iran, lobbying him persistently for months and working to ensure nuclear negotiations did not impede military plans, the New York Times reported Monday. The account, based on interviews with American and Israeli officials, diplomats, lawmakers and intelligence figures, describes the US decision to strike Iran as a significant victory for Netanyahu's long-standing objective of confronting Tehran.

Oval Office meeting sealed the deal

When Netanyahu walked into the Oval Office on February 11, his goal was clear: to keep Trump committed to military action even as the US had just begun nuclear negotiations with Iran under Omani mediation. The two leaders discussed possible dates for a strike and the slim prospects of a diplomatic resolution over nearly three hours, the Times reported. Netanyahu had first raised the prospect of hitting Iran's missile sites during a visit to Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in December, and two months later secured something far more expansive: a full US partner in a campaign to bring down the Iranian leadership.

Deep coordination between allies

Coordination between the two countries ran deep throughout the planning process. When Netanyahu determined in January that Israel needed more time to bolster its missile interceptors and air defenses, he called Trump and asked him to delay any strike. Trump agreed. In the weeks that followed, senior Israeli military and intelligence officials traveled to Washington, and the Israeli military chief communicated regularly with the head of US Central Command. The close collaboration ensured that when Operation Epic Fury launched Saturday, it would be a fully coordinated campaign.

Diplomacy sidelined

Despite three rounds of nuclear talks held in Muscat and Geneva under Omani mediation, the last of which concluded just two days before the strikes, the Times reported that there was never realistic space for a deal that could simultaneously satisfy Trump, Netanyahu and Iranian leaders. After the talks, envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner told Trump a deal was out of reach. Trump's appetite for military action was also fueled by his own confidence following the US's capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January, a success he reportedly saw as a model for what could be achieved in Iran.

Few voices of dissent

Within Trump's inner circle, few voices pushed back against the march to war. Even Vice President JD Vance, long skeptical of Middle East military interventions, ultimately argued that if the US was going to act, it should "go big and go fast." The operation launched Saturday has killed several senior Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Six US service members have been killed since operations began, with Trump warning that more casualties are likely as the campaign, expected to last four to five weeks, continues.