Maryland senator claims Netanyahu 'has always wanted to drag' US into 'war with Iran'

Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen on Friday claimed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was on the verge of getting what he has long been hoping for: A war between Iran and Israel with the help of the United States.

The comment was a follow-up to his statement earlier in the week that Netanyahu had "outsmarted" President Donald Trump when it comes to Iran. Israel and Iran have been engaged in a conflict since last week, which the United States has not been directly a part of, but Trump has been weighing whether to get more directly involved in the conflict. 

The senator, who is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told CNN that Netanyahu has been wanting the U.S. to take military action against Iran since the Iraq War, per The Hill.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu has always wanted to drag the United States into a war with Iran. Remember, Prime Minister Netanyahu was a big cheerleader for the war in Iraq. And many people believed that would be ‘a cakewalk,’” Van Hollen said. “[Netanyahu’s] goals have always been to take military action against Iran.

“So, my view is that Prime Minister Netanyahu was on the verge, anyway, of getting Donald Trump to do what he’s wanted to do all along, which is drag the United States into a war with Iran," the senator added.

Van Hollen and other Democratic senators have warned that Trump could seek to take military action against Iran without Congressional approval, which is necessary in order to declare war. Multiple Democrats in both chambers have even signed resolutions that would force Congress to vote on whether to authorize military force against Iran.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has not signed the resolution, and is part of a group of senators who have maintained that Iran "must not be allowed to attain a nuclear weapon."

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.