Smotrich says US fighting Iran is ‘best for us’ and Israel will not join

Smotrich says US fighting Iran is ‘best for us’ and Israel will not join

Submitted by
Elis Gjevori
on
Tue, 07/21/2026 - 11:25

Finance minister says the war serves Israeli interests while American troops and households bear its mounting costs

Bezalel Smotrich speaks during a a press conference near the settlement of Maale Adumim, in the occupied West Bank, on 14 August, 2025 (AFP/Menahem Kahana)

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Israel’s far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, has described the renewed US war on Iran as the ideal outcome for Israel, provided Israelis do not have to fight it themselves.

"Israel has no interest in joining the campaign - the current situation is the best for us," Smotrich said on Tuesday in comments carried by Kan news.

He delivered the remarks at the Katif Conference for National Responsibility, an annual gathering promoting the return of illegal Israeli settlements to Gaza.

Smotrich has repeatedly called for Israel to occupy the enclave, impose military rule and establish settlements there while calling for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. 

Israel and the US started the war with coordinated attacks on Iran on 28 February, after Israel lobbied Washington into the conflict, prompting Tehran to retaliate against US military assets across the region.

The war was renewed earlier this month with the US striking Iranian targets and Iran hitting US assets across the region. Israel has so far not joined in the fighting.

Smotrich nevertheless made clear that Israel still wants the war to deliver its strategic objectives.

"[We] must remember that the ultimate goal of Israel, and not necessarily the United States, is to undermine and weaken the regime in Iran - to the point of overthrowing it."

He argued that destroying Iran’s economy offered the most effective route towards that goal.

"Currently, inflation in Iran is at 85 percent, food inflation of over 134 percent in a total of four months, and the Iranian rial is trading at an exchange rate of 1.9 million to the dollar - and it's going up," he said.

Smotrich then returned to the central message that Israel should not enter the renewed war saying that "the current situation is good for us, and there's no point in pushing ourselves inward".

Cost of US war on Iran rising 

Washington and Tehran signed a 14-point memorandum on 17 June to terminate military operations and begin 60 days of negotiations. Israeli officials opposed the agreement and pushed for the campaign to continue.

Israel than sought to derail the agreement by continuing its attacks on Lebanon, despite the halting of those attacks being the agreement’s first provision.

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Earlier this month, US Vice President JD Vance said figures within the Israeli government had sought to pull Washington away from diplomacy and deeper into war with Iran.

“You have seen this very discreet, extremely well-funded campaign to try to derail the negotiation and try to derail the deal,” he told the Joe Rogan podacst.

Israel may now consider the renewed war “good” for itself, but Americans are paying in blood and treasure.

Seventeen US military personnel have been killed, at least 420 wounded and one remains missing.

The Iran War Cost Tracker has estimated that the war has cost US taxpayers more than $100bn by 16 June, when it last published an estimate. 

According to Brown University’s Iran War Energy Cost Tracker, American households had also paid more than $71bn in additional fuel costs - about $544 per household. With the war continuing, those costs are likely to be significantly higher now.

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