Media Blame Israel for American Strike on Iran

Many in the mainstream media have “blamed” Israel for the American attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. They cannot find any other reason why the United States might have bombed Iran. But Iran has been doing harm to Americans since the very first year of the Islamic Republic’s existence. And the American government knows that when the Iranians in their vast rallies call for “death to America,” they mean it. More on what the Islamic Republic has done to America during the past 45 years, and why it is important to refute the charge that Israel is responsible for the American attack, can be found here: “Why world media blaming Israel for US striking Iran is scary – opinion,” by Gil Hoffman, Jerusalem Post, June 29, 2025:

Taking 66 Americans hostage at the US Embassy in Tehran in 1979 (most held for almost 15 months), killing 258 Americans in three separate Beirut bombings in 1983, killing 19 US Air Force servicemen in Saudi Arabia in 1996, killing 603 service members in Iraq between 2003 and 2011, killing three Americans in Jordan in January 2024, attempting to assassinate US President Donald Trump last year, and damaging the US embassy branch in Tel Aviv last week. Almost 900 Americans killed over more than 40 years.

That is just a partial list of what the Islamic Republic of Iran has done to the United States since the current regime took power 46 years ago.

Nevertheless, after Trump sent bombers to strike Iranian nuclear facilities on Saturday night, the top media outlets in the US and around the world reported that the US had no reason to get involved other than to help Israel.

This is factually incorrect – because of the long history of Iranian aggression listed above and because a nuclear Iran would pose a direct future threat: not just to what it has called the “Little Satan” Israel but also to the “Middle Satan” Europe and the “Great Satan” America.

This narrative is very dangerous because any future Iranian retaliation against the US in which an American is harmed would likely be blamed on Israel by those misled by the media, which reported incorrectly and irresponsibly.‎‏

Irresponsible reporting: Shifting blame on Israel for US actions, Iranian retaliation

The New York Times headline was “With Decision to Bomb Iran, Trump Injects US Into Middle East Conflict.” The truth is that the Iranian regime injected the US into the conflict immediately when it took power, and it had nothing to do with Israel. The sub-headline was even worse, with its claim that “the US has joined Israel’s war against the country.” Why does the Times get to decide that only Israel can be involved in stopping a maniacal regime from getting nukes?

THE ASSOCIATED Press headline was no better: “US Inserts Itself into War between Israel and Iran.” Foundation for Defense of Democracies CEO Mark Dubowitz gave another good reason on X why this is wrong: “Most don’t get this: Khamenei gave his nuclear weapons scientists permission – for the first time – to creep toward a warhead DURING talks with Trump & [Middle East envoy Steve] Witkoff. That was the tripwire. Crossed. Detected. Understood. The reason Israeli strikes began.”

Reuters wrote that “Trump’s decision to join Israel’s military campaign against its major rival Iran is a major escalation of the conflict and risks opening a new era of instability in the Middle East.” This was labeled a news article, not an analysis or op-ed, so writers Phil Stewart and Steve Holland had no right to judge that the move would cause instability in the Middle East, which has been through 629 days of war on seven fronts. Perhaps stopping the nuclearization of a country whose proxies have caused so many conflicts will actually increase stability, Phil and Steve?

MSNBC columnist Nayyera Haq referred to “the volatile leaders of Iran or Israel” in questioning what would happen next in the war. But the democratically elected leaders of Israel are not morally or politically equivalent to the oppressive clerics and unelected strongmen of Iran. As Trump has noted, he gave Iran plenty of chances to avoid war….

The attempt to put Netanyahu on the same moral plane as Ali Khamenei is preposterous. Israel’s leaders are democratically elected; Iran’s leader is a despot who rules with an iron fist and imprisons or executes any who are to oppose the regime.