US and Israel 'planted' media leaks alleging tensions before Iran attack: Report Submitted by MEE staff on Fri, 12/19/2025 - 18:56 The US and Israel plotted to attack Iran in June despite media reports saying they were not on the same page US President Donald Trump, left, holds hands and speaks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, in Jerusalem, on 13 October 2025 (Chip Somodevilla/Pool/AFP) Off The US and Israel plotted to attack Iran earlier this year despite high-profile media reports at the time saying that Washington and Israel were not on the same page, according to a new report. The article, published earlier this week by The Washington Post, raises new questions about how Israeli and US officials exploit so-called news “scoops”, particularly covering their private discussions, to sway the narrative and influence countries. The Post reported that Israel and the US conspired to leak stories that tensions were high between US President Donald Trump and his Israeli counterpart to lull Iran into a false sense of security as Tehran was negotiating with the US. In reality, all the while, the US knew Israel would attack. Before joining in the attack, it sent a restrictive final offer whose terms Iran had previously refused. “All the reports that were written about Bibi not being on the same page with Witkoff or Trump were not true,” the Washington Post reported, citing a person familiar with the matter, and using Netanyahu’s nickname. “But it was good that this was the general perception, it helped to move on with the planning without many people noticing it,” the person said. Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran on 13 June, using modified F-35 American warplanes and other US arms, Middle East Eye reported. The attack came just two days before the US and Iran were scheduled to hold a sixth round of nuclear talks that the US’s Arab partners, including Saudi Arabia , the UAE and Qatar , were supporting. Israel and US modified F-35s to enable Iran attack without refuelling, sources say Read More » MEE reported a week before the Israeli attacks that the Trump administration had been impressed by plans Israel shared with it, which laid out strikes against Iran’s nuclear programme. Other news outlets also reported that the US and Israel had consulted on an attack plan. Trump himself never ruled out an Israeli attack on Iran. But several news reports at the time suggested tension between the US and Israel. In one key case, the reporting that the US told Israel it would not join in an attack turned out to be completely wrong. The Wall Street Journal reported that the US told Israel that it would not provide “offensive support” for the attack. The report appeared to suggest daylight between US and Israeli willingness to attack Iran. Axios news site also reported on 12 June that the US told the Israeli government the US would not join directly in any Israeli military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities. On 22 May, Axios also reported that the Trump administration was concerned Netanyahu would attack Iran without approval from Trump. The US president said a week later that he had warned Netanyahu against a strike. In reality, Israel would attack Iran about two weeks later, with the US approving the use of offensive weapons systems like F-35 and F-16 warplanes. Just days before the attack, it was also sending missiles to Israel, MEE revealed . The war culminated in the US’s decision to launch strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities on 22 June, despite dozens of media reports saying the US had ruled out joining in the operation. Before striking Iran, the US sent a final ultimatum to the country. It demanded Iran end all financial support for armed groups like Hezbollah, the Houthis and Hamas. It also called on Iran to replace the Fordow Enrichment Plant and other facilities with ones that did not allow any enrichment, in return, for all sanctions to be lifted, the Post reported. Iran’s ability to enrich uranium had long been a divisive topic in the nuclear talks. However, the US appeared to be offering solutions other than blowing up Iran’s facilities, with several reports saying the two discussed a regional consortium that would enrich uranium. Israel attacks Iran News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0