In an interview with FOCUS online, political scientist and USA expert Thomas Jäger from the University of Cologne certainly sees “cracks in the relationship”, but classifies them clearly: They are the result of different interests – not a break.

Essentially it’s about the threat situation. “There was now really a direct threat to Israel,” says Jäger. Iran wanted to wipe out Israel and had set up proxies such as Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis around the country. For the USA, on the other hand, there is “a lot of water between itself and Iran. There was no direct threat.”

USA and Israel in Iran: Different interests

This difference explains the tensions. Israel has been pushing the US to take tougher action against Iran for years out of concern for its own existence. Long time without success. Only Trump was willing to intervene militarily, says Jäger. The fact that Israel has now also attacked the Iranian gas facilities fits into this security policy logic.

At the same time, it becomes clear that the distribution of roles is not clear. Trump claims leadership in the war, but “his claim is not always seen that way in Israel.”

Jäger: Trump without a clear line

Trump’s behavior causes additional irritation: Apparently Consent behind the scenesbut he publicly criticized the Israeli attacks on the gas plant.

For hunters, this is not a sign of pressure, but of disorientation. “Trump simply has no strategy, no fixed purpose for the war and that’s why he meanders back and forth, sometimes standing here and sometimes standing there.”

According to Jäger, the often assumed pressure from Trump’s “MAGA” movement is not enough. What is crucial is that Trump himself is not fixed and takes “every position and also its opposite”.