I know it worries you, but everything will be fine: how Donald Trump led the United States into war

In a long article published on Tuesday, April 7, the New York Times reconstructs how, through a series of secret meetings, Donald Trump ultimately committed the United States to the side of Israel against Iran. The American newspaper recounts a high-stakes political and military tête-à-tête, with a determined Benjamin Netanyahu seeking American support and a relatively easy-to-convince Donald Trump, sensitive to the promise of a quick, spectacular, and decisive operation. Despite doubts and warnings from within the administration, a decision was made within a small circle.

Journalists Jonathan Swan and Maggie Haberman, White House correspondents and co-authors of a forthcoming book on the Trump presidency, trace the sequence of events. Their narrative shows how the American president gradually set aside the reservations of his advisers to follow his intuition and, more importantly, the Israeli view of the power struggle with Tehran.

It all began on February 11, just before 11 a.m., when Benjamin Netanyahu’s black SUV entered the White House gates. The Israeli Prime Minister, who had been pushing for a major offensive against Iran for months, was discreetly led inside. According to the New York Times, the ensuing meeting would have significant implications.

After an initial exchange in the Cabinet Room, Netanyahu descended to the Situation Room for the centerpiece of his visit: a highly confidential presentation focused on Iran. Donald Trump did not sit in his usual place at the head of the table but on the side, facing the screens. Netanyahu laid out his case in front of him.

Behind Netanyahu, on the screen, appeared David Barnea, the head of Mossad – Israel’s main intelligence service – and several Israeli military officials. Around the table were few people: Susie Wiles, Marco Rubio, Pete Hegseth, General Dan Caine, John Ratcliffe, Jared Kushner, and Steve Witkoff. The meeting was intentionally kept small to avoid leaks. Even Vice President J.D. Vance, then in Azerbaijan, could not be present.

For an hour, Netanyahu argued that regime change in Iran was not only desirable but also within reach. He claimed that Iran’s ballistic missile program could be destroyed in a few weeks and that the weakened regime would not be able to block the Strait of Hormuz or seriously harm American interests in the region. At the end of the presentation, the American president summed up with a single sentence, as reported by the New York Times: “That sounds good to me.” For Netanyahu, the response was almost a green light.

The next day, February 12, the conclusions were presented at another meeting in the Situation Room, this time among only American officials. The Israeli strategy was broken down into four objectives: to kill Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, degrade Iranian military capabilities, provoke a popular uprising, and install a pro-Western government in Tehran. According to them, the first two objectives were plausible, while the latter two were much less so.