NEW DELHI – Former US Secretary of State John Kerry has revealed that three successive American presidents — George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden — all rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposals for military action against Iran.
Kerry made the comments during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, pulling back the curtain on decades of internal US debates over whether to go to war with Iran.
What Kerry said
“Obama said no. Bush said no. President Biden said no. I mean, I was part of those conversations,” Kerry told Colbert.
According to Kerry, US leaders held back from conflict because they believed diplomatic options had not been exhausted. He warned that decisions of that magnitude cannot be rushed, especially given the costly lessons of Vietnam and Iraq.
Kerry’s warning about lying to the public
Speaking as a Vietnam War veteran, Kerry emphasized the importance of honesty before committing to war.
“We were lied to about what that war was about,” Kerry said. “The lesson of that war and of Iraq is don’t lie to the American people and then ask them to send their sons and daughters to fight.”
Netanyahu’s regime change claims questioned
Kerry rejected Netanyahu’s projections about political upheaval in Iran, describing them as speculative. He said predictions of internal revolt or regime change simply did not materialize.
Trump era brought a different response
However, a New York Times report indicates Netanyahu found a more receptive audience during Donald Trump’s presidency.
At a February 11 Situation Room meeting, Netanyahu reportedly argued that Iran was “ripe for regime change” and expressed “belief that a joint U.S.-Israeli mission could finally bring an end to the Islamic Republic.” Trump’s reported response: “Sounds good to me.”
Pushback within Trump administration
Despite Trump’s initial support, the plan faced resistance. According to Axios, Vice President JD Vance later held a tense exchange with Netanyahu, questioning what he described as overly optimistic assumptions about the conflict.
A US official told Axios: “Before the war, Bibi really sold it to the president as being easy, as regime change being a lot likelier than it was. And the VP was clear-eyed about some of those statements.”
The bottom line
For years, multiple US presidents said no to war with Iran. The current administration said yes. Kerry’s comments raise a central question: what changed — and who paid the price?
