Hillary Clinton claims Netanyahu 'played games' with US over Iran strikes

• Hillary Clinton says Benjamin Netanyahu repeatedly pressured the Obama administration to back military action against Iran.

In a revealing look behind the curtain of Obama-era diplomacy, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton disclosed that 'Israeli' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu exerted "relentless" pressure on the United States to back a military strike against Iran.

Speaking recently on stage with The New Yorker editor David Remnick at the 92nd Street Y in New York City, Clinton reflected on her tenure from 2009 to 2013.

The discussion took place against the immediate backdrop of Washington and Tehran finalizing a memorandum of understanding to end the Trump administration's recent war with Iran, a conflict Clinton openly criticized as a strategic defeat that left the US "weaker" and Iran "stronger."

'Our planes are on the tarmac'

According to Clinton, Netanyahu was "persistent" and thoroughly "obsessed" with physically striking Iran’s nuclear program, particularly between 2009 and 2012.

The former Secretary of State recalled high-stakes encounters where 'Israeli' leadership deployed theatrical leverage to force Washington’s hand.

“They would say things like, ‘Our planes are on the tarmac,’” Clinton told Remnick, describing the urgency manufactured by the 'Israeli' delegation.

Clinton noted that she and other senior Obama administration officials flatly refused to "take the bait." In one notable exchange, she recounted pushing back against the immense pressure, essentially wishing the 'Israelis' well on their own accord while sharply questioning the tactical rationale and consequences of immediate, unilateral military action.

To illustrate the sheer intensity of the lobbying campaign, Clinton highlighted a grueling, exceptionally lengthy phone conversation she held jointly with Netanyahu and then-'Israeli' Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

Agreeing that an ally was 'playing games'

During the interview, Remnick observed that despite 'Israel' being a primary US ally and the beneficiary of billions of dollars in American aid, the country frequently appeared to be "playing games" with Washington over regional security.

Clinton did not hesitate to validate the characterization.

"Always. Of course," Clinton replied, confirming a persistent pattern of strategic maneuvering and manipulation in bilateral relations.

A pattern extending to the Trump era

Clinton argued that Netanyahu's playbook did not change with her departure or the end of the Obama administration. She suggested that the 'Israeli' prime minister successfully utilized the exact same high-pressure dynamics with subsequent US administrations, most notably that of President Donald Trump.

Furthermore, Clinton connected Netanyahu’s hyper-focus on the Iranian military threat to his parallel diplomatic tracks, including his ongoing efforts to secure normalization with Saudi Arabia as a broader regional counterweight.

The rare, candid assessment from the former top diplomat underscores the deep, historically turbulent undercurrents that have long defined the US-'Israel' alliance behind closed doors.