ABSTRACT
This chapter examines four pivotal episodes in the Israeli-American debate over Iran. In the first case from 2010 to 2012, Israel urged Washington to intensify its pressure campaign against Iran. Israel’s efforts were successful because it was pushing the United States in a direction it had already decided to go; the disagreement was about intensity, not direction, and Israel pushed Obama to take a harder line. Israel’s early concerns intensified in the subsequent eight years, as the Obama presidency featured two distinct periods for the Israeli-American relationship over Iran. From 2009 to 2019, the influence of Israel and its allies over the United States debate on Iran was limited. When the Obama and Trump administrations decided to intensify pressure against Iran in 2010–2012 and 2017–2018, Israel played a prominent role in ensuring it maximised its leverage. But when the administrations tried diplomacy, Israel’s strong objections failed to persuade the president to reverse course.
