Defense Priorities Defense Priorities
  • Policy Topics
    • Israel-Iran
    • Ukraine-Russia
    • NATO
    • China
    • Syria
  • Research
    • Briefs
    • Explainers
    • Reports
  • Programs
    • Grand Strategy Program
    • Military Analysis Program
    • Asia Program
    • Middle East Program
  • Experts
  • Events
  • Media
  • About
    • Mission & Vision
    • People
    • Jobs
    • Contact
  • Donate
Select Page
Home / Israel-Iran / Trump scrambles to claim credit for Israel’s Iran attack he publicly opposed
Israel‑Iran, Iran, Israel, Middle East

June 13, 2025

Trump scrambles to claim credit for Israel’s Iran attack he publicly opposed

“The U.S. started evacuating voluntarily non-essential personnel on Wednesday, barely 24 hours ahead of time, not enough time to really get people out of harm’s way,” said Rosemary Kelanic, the Middle East director for Defense Priorities, a think tank that pushes for a more restrained US foreign policy. “So the question for me is what did the president know and when did he know it?”

Senior Israeli officials also began to brief media that Trump had only pretended to oppose an Israeli attack and that they in fact had a “green light” for the attack. But Kelanic and others noted that Israel may be seeking a means to “entrap” the U.S. into a war.

In either case, it is doubtful that Israel could have prepared the attack in the past week without U.S. knowledge.

Read at The Guardian

Featuring

Rosemary
Kelanic

Director, Middle East Program

Defense Priorities

More on Middle East

In the mediaMiddle East, Israel

Has Gaza tested the limits of Donald Trump’s support for Benjamin Netanyahu?

Featuring Jennifer Kavanagh

July 30, 2025

op-edIsrael‑Hamas, Israel, Middle East

What does Trump really want in Gaza?

By Daniel DePetris

July 30, 2025

op-edGrand strategy, Military analysis

America needs to take better care of its military

By Dan Caldwell

July 28, 2025

op-edGrand strategy, Iran, Israel, Middle East

There are no more reasons for U.S. presence in Middle East

By William Walldorf

July 28, 2025

op-edIsrael‑Iran, Iran, Israel, Middle East

Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu don’t have the same goals

By Daniel DePetris

July 22, 2025

op-edIsrael‑Iran, Iran, Israel, Middle East

What comes next in U.S.-Iran talks?

By Alexander Langlois

July 18, 2025

Events on Israel-Iran

See All Events
virtualMiddle East, Grand strategy, Israel‑Iran

Past Virtual Event: Does the Middle East still matter?

February 6, 2024
virtualMiddle East, Iran, Israel‑Hamas, Israel‑Iran, Syria, Yemen

Past Virtual Event: Keeping the U.S. out of war in the Middle East

January 16, 2024
in-personMiddle East, Counterterrorism, Israel‑Iran

Past In-Person Event: Recalibrating Middle East policy

November 27, 2018

Receive expert foreign policy analysis

Join the hub of realism and restraint

Expert updates and analysis to enhance your understanding of vital U.S. national security issues

Defense Priority Mono Logo

Our mission is to inform citizens, thought leaders, and policymakers of the importance of a strong, dynamic military—used more judiciously to protect America’s narrowly defined national interests—and promote a realistic grand strategy prioritizing restraint, diplomacy, and free trade to ensure U.S. security.

  • About
  • For Media
  • Jobs
  • Donate
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Contact
© 2025 Defense Priorities All Right Reserved