Trump Endorses Netanyahu, Raises Questions About U.S. Role in Iran Conflict
Donald Trump officially threw his support behind Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s re‑election bid on Sunday, posting a glowing tribute on his Truth Social platform. The former president described Netanyahu as a “great warrior prime minister and an even greater partner for peace,” and warned that Iran had been “systematically destroyed both militarily and financially, and unless they change their ways, rapidly, we will soon finish the job.”
Trump added that if Israel were led by anyone other than Netanyahu, the United States would have to intervene directly, a step he said he was reluctant to take. He praised Netanyahu’s resilience, noting that “normal men and women would have wilted under the pressure, but he got stronger.” The former president concluded his message with a full endorsement, stating, “Bibi Netanyahu will never let you down.”
Israel’s parliamentary election is scheduled for October 27. According to a tracker maintained by Haaretz, the opposition alliance headed by the Yashar party of Gadi Eisenkot is projected to win 52 seats, while Netanyahu’s Likud‑led coalition is expected to secure 51 of the 120 seats in the Knesset. No party is currently forecast to achieve an outright majority.
Trump’s endorsement marks a shift from his earlier reluctance to back any candidate. Earlier in the month, when TIME magazine asked whether Netanyahu deserved another term, he deflected to his own popularity in Israel and Washington’s support for the country. In a Newsmax interview, he said, “They’d like me to be. Yeah, they’d like me to be,” when questioned about involvement in the Israeli elections, and admitted, “I don’t trust anybody, honestly,” when asked about his confidence in Netanyahu.
Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East‑North Africa programme at Chatham House, said the endorsement is politically significant because it arrives after months of tension between the two leaders. “It allows Netanyahu to reinforce his claim that he is indispensable to Israel’s relationship with Washington,” she told Al Jazeera, while cautioning that Israeli voters remain split over his leadership and the ongoing Iran war. Andreas Krieg, a senior lecturer at King’s College London, described the endorsement as a “political gift” for a campaign that is struggling, but warned it is unlikely to change the structural challenges Netanyahu faces, such as fragmented right‑wing parties and disillusioned ultra‑Orthodox voters.
The endorsement comes amid speculation that Trump may be preparing to restart attacks on Iran, either before or after the upcoming U.S. midterm elections. The conflict, which began in February after coordinated U.S. and Israeli strikes, has largely stalled. Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz—once responsible for about 20 percent of global crude flows—triggered a U.S. naval blockade and a series of ship‑to‑ship confrontations. Oil traffic through the strait rebounded to pre‑war levels last month, but a series of Iranian attacks on vessels earlier this month again disrupted exports. On Monday, Brent crude futures traded at $107.57 a barrel, slipping slightly after peaking at $110 on the previous Friday.
Last month, Iran submitted a proposal to Washington offering to reopen the waterway within seven days, contingent on the lifting of sanctions and an end to the U.S. naval blockade. The offer stalled after the United States did not meet Tehran’s seven conditions. Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi told local media that the proposal remains on the table and could be acted upon within six days if Washington agrees. In a separate X post, Araghchi accused Netanyahu of seeking to resume attacks on Iran with U.S. backing in order to “stay out of jail,” recalling the previous attempt to “finish the job” that left Iran “even stronger.”