“I can easily say I support America’s right to defend itself and also say at the same time I don’t want Israel to fight America’s wars. I want to fund Israeli interests and issues. I want Israelis to be rich and have security in their future. Israelis are exhausted by all of this and rightfully so.”
This statement makes a lot of sense coming from an Israeli lawmaker. Ironically, though, it was none other than U.S. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene who, alongside other public-figure “isolationists” such as Tucker Carlson, flipped the narrative. A war that began long ago between America and Iran has now somehow become Israel’s problem.
On the surface, Iran and Israel are bitter enemies. Ayatollahs chant “Death to Israel,” fund proxies like Hezbollah and Hamas, and pursue weapons that could threaten the Jewish state’s existence. But a closer examination of the Islamic Republic’s strategic priorities reveals something deeper and more dangerous: Israel is merely a convenient scapegoat, a symbol, a side plot.
The true enemy—the one Iran has been engaged with in a century-long battle of ideology, influence, and imperial friction—is not Israel. It is America.
The history of conflict between Iran and the United States predates the 1979 revolution. During the Cold War, Iran under the Shah was a Western bulwark in the Middle East. The CIA’s 1953 coup against Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh, which reinstated the Shah and protected Anglo-American oil interests, marked the beginning of direct American entanglement in Iran’s internal affairs. For the clerics who came to power after the revolution, this was the original sin.
From the moment Ayatollah Khomeini seized power, the Islamic Republic has defined itself through opposition to “the Great Satan.” The 444-day hostage crisis at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran wasn’t merely an act of terrorism.
It was the foundational act of an anti-American regime. Iran’s obsession with undermining the United States has defined every chapter since, from the Iran-Iraq War, where America tilted toward Saddam Hussein, to the present-day nuclear standoff.
And nowhere is this more evident than in the Persian Gulf. This is not a zone of Israeli activity. It is the frontline of Iranian-American confrontation. The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow choke point through which nearly 20% of the world’s oil flows, is Iran’s economic pressure valve and America’s strategic obsession.
The U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, headquartered in Bahrain, exists almost solely to ensure the uninterrupted flow of oil and protect American commercial and geopolitical interests. The reason is simple: whoever controls the oil lanes, controls the economy of the modern world.
Iran knows this. It constantly threatens to shut the strait, seizes tankers, arms the Houthis to strike Red Sea traffic, and uses asymmetric naval tactics to harass American ships.
The danger of this balancing act came to a head in 1988 when the USS Samuel B. Roberts, a U.S. Navy frigate, struck an Iranian mine in the Persian Gulf. Ten American sailors were injured; the ship was nearly lost. America’s response was swift and overwhelming: Operation Praying Mantis.
In the largest U.S. naval engagement since World War II, American forces destroyed Iranian oil platforms used for military operations, sank or damaged several Iranian naval vessels, and made it unmistakably clear that the U.S. was the enforcer of order in the Gulf.
When Iran lashes out at Israel, it’s not because Israel poses a threat. It’s because Israel is nearby, small and easy to prey on. Iran funds Hamas, trains Hezbollah, and equips Houthis to create chaos that aims to send a message to America about which world power controls the region.
But America is the true enemy of Iran—militarily, economically and culturally. Iran’s goal is not merely to destroy Israel, but to remove America from the Middle East, replace pro-Western regimes and export its revolutionary ideology.
Yes, the U.S.-Israel alliance is crucial. Shared intelligence, joint defense systems, and moral solidarity are all indispensable. But being an ally doesn’t mean being a punching bag. Just as America acts in its national interest, so too must Israel. Let the superpower fight its own superpower battles. Israel should not become the pawn sacrificed in a global chess match.
Now that America has introduced its B-2 bombers, it’s time for Israel to step back. While allies should always be there, ready to assist one another, the Persian Gulf is not Israel’s front.
Ultimately, callous statements by Marjorie Taylor Greene and Tucker Carlson and their ilk serve no purpose other than to insult the memory of the hundreds of American personnel killed by Iranian-backed forces in Lebanon, Iraq and throughout the Middle East—defending global freedom and prosperity for all.