America’s ambassador to Israel has told Sky News that the United States has no plans to launch a military attack against Iran – but admitted that those plans could change.
Mike Huckabee told me that Hamas carried full responsibility for the suffering of the people of Gaza and severely criticised nations, including Britain, that had recognised the State of Palestine, saying the decision had been “very damaging” and was simply “grandstanding”.
Mr Huckabee insisted that final decisions about any military action against Iran would be made by President Trump and his cabinet, but confirmed that, as we spoke, there was no attack planned.
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“Those are decisions that are going to be made in Washington by the president, by the secretary of war, but I’m not hearing anything at this point where America is preparing to engage militarily,” he said.
“Right now, it’s really a matter of watching what is, an organic movement coming up from very, very disgruntled, rightfully so, Iranian people who have decided that they can’t keep going on like this.”
Mr Huckabee, who was nominated to his role by Donald Trump shortly after his election in 2024, maintained that “we have a president that would rather never use military power” but said that Mr Trump’s restraint could end if the Iranian regime kept killing protesters.
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“He would just rather never have to deploy it. This president is not a chump. He is not going to watch people slaughtered. He will intervene when it’s necessary and he will deal with those who do horrific things.”
Mr Huckabee told me that America’s attacks on Iran last year had been a warning that “you’re not going to have a nuclear weapon and you’re not going to enrich uranium – they didn’t believe it. I hope they do now.”
He said that the fall of the Iranian regime would be celebrated as the end of the “very harsh rule of the ayatollahs – when they came in, they pretty much destroyed everything. And it’s been a hellhole since”, but said that Iran “was once a magnificent and modern Persian culture”.
“The people are protesting because they can’t feed their families. They’re protesting because there’s not enough water. Inflation is so high that what was once enough to purchase a car can barely buy a loaf of bread.”
Mr Huckabee said he hoped the fall of the Iranian regime, were it to happen, would also mean the end of Iranian funding for proxy groups in the region, notably Hamas, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.
Mr Huckabee told me that Hamas, in his opinion, bears the entire responsibility for turning Gaza into “the most miserable place on earth”.
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He said that talks were still ongoing about who would serve on the “Board of Peace” outlined in the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
He told me: “I think we all thought it might have already been announced, but one of the things that I appreciate about the process is it could have been done quickly, but there’s a greater desire to do it right than to do it fast.
“There will be a Palestinian technocratic government but it’s yet to be named and determined. And that process I know is intense, and it’s going on every single day.
“It has to be better than what’s been there. It has to be a better outcome for the people that won’t be subject to the horrific kind of administration that Hamas has imposed on since they took control in 2007.”
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It is only a matter of months since Britain, France and a group of other countries recognised the State of Palestine.
The United States did not, and the ambassador told me he remained angry and disappointed about the decision. I asked him why he was so sure that he was right, and that the likes of Britain were wrong.
“It wasn’t just me, my government, the United States has been vehemently opposed to this unilateral recognition,” said Mr Huckabee, claiming it contravened the terms of the Oslo Accords.
“It was, to us, not only ill-timed, it was very damaging and hurtful to the process in Gaza. It was damaging to what we were trying to do and alleviating some of the financial crisis between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
“I’m not sure to this day what was accomplished by, other than to really mess some things up that didn’t need to be messed up, and for some grandstanding to go on between some European leaders that thought that somehow they were going to bring some great resolve, which they did not do.”
