Antony Blinken: Israel tried to pressure Barack Obama to launch military strikes on Iran [View all]

Last edited Tue Mar 10, 2026, 08:34 AM - Edit history (1)

Israel tried to pressure Barack Obama to launch military strikes on Iran, according to former US secretary of state Antony Blinken, and that, under Biden, right after October 7, Israeli leaders warned they would attack themselves if U.S refused: "And we came within about 30 minutes of having a war."

Obama rejected calls for war, arguing that Iran’s nuclear program should be addressed through “very muscular diplomacy” supported by global sanctions, rather than immediate military action.

Blinken also said the United States came close to entering another regional conflict after the October 7 attacks. Israeli officials, he noted, provided inaccurate information claiming Hezbollah was preparing an imminent attack from Lebanon and urged a pre-emptive strike.

In the Epstein audio files, Epstein is heard complaining that Obama wouldn’t budge. He says Obama preferred to eat lunch alone and use that time to review intelligence and think things through. According to Epstein, they tried to use contacts they had inside the White House to persuade him, but Obama wouldn't budge. One of those contacts was probably Kathryn Ruemmler (principal deputy White House counsel and White House Counsel to President Barack Obama) who called Epstein "Uncle" and said "I adore him".

https://youtube.com/shorts/INZwofoO_cE?si=rckDPUqsev3dF3pk