U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee says President Donald Trump is intensifying pressure on Iran on multiple fronts, arguing that the combination of devastating American-Israeli military strikes and economic pressure has left Tehran weaker than at any point since the Islamic Revolution nearly five decades ago.
In an interview with Newsmax, Huckabee said Trump has demonstrated that his campaign against Iran extends well beyond military action.
“He’s not just proven that he was willing to bomb them, but he’s also willing to bankrupt them,” Huckabee stated.
Huckabee said the joint U.S.-Israeli military campaign caused “an enormous level of damage” to Iran’s defense capabilities, leaving the regime in its most vulnerable position since 1979.
The ambassador also addressed the extraordinary security measures recently taken to protect Trump from a potential Iranian assassination plot during the president’s departure from Turkey, praising the Secret Service for what he described as a highly sophisticated operation.
Last month, Trump was secretly flown out of Turkey aboard an alternate U.S. military aircraft after security officials became concerned about a possible Iranian threat. Cameras initially captured Trump boarding the familiar blue-and-white Boeing 747 serving as Air Force One, creating the appearance that the president would depart aboard the aircraft as usual.
Instead, Trump and a small group of senior aides were subsequently removed from the 747 without public notice and transported across the airport in a catering truck. They were then placed aboard an Air Force C-32A, a modified Boeing 757, which carried them out of the country.
“The president is obviously the most targeted person in the world,” Huckabee remarked, praising the agency’s performance.
“The number one job of the Secret Service is to protect the president, whatever it takes. What they did was a masterful operation,” he said.
Huckabee also dismissed criticism that the operation deliberately misled reporters and others who believed Trump was leaving aboard the conventional presidential aircraft.
“It fooled everybody, and that is why it was effective. I’ve heard some people complaining … that he shouldn’t have somehow fooled the reporters. “Well, what was he going to do? Tell them that he was taking a different plane?”
“It was all about the security for the president. It was a brilliant plan, and it was executed flawlessly,” he declared.
Huckabee said Americans should be grateful that trained security personnel are prepared to employ such measures when necessary to protect the commander in chief.
“That’s why we have a professional staff of highly trained people who guard the president,” he noted, stating further, “And I’m glad they do, because I would hate for something to happen to this president right now. We need him. He’s doing an effective job, and the least thing he needs to be worried about is his own safety, right?”
The ambassador also highlighted Israel’s role in providing intelligence concerning potential Iranian threats against Trump, pointing to the episode as an example of the practical value of the U.S.-Israel security relationship.
“There are threats against the president from Iran,” he observed, noting, “They continue all the time. The Israeli Mossad was one of the reasons that they knew that the plot was real. “When people say, what’s the benefit of our relationship? There’s one right there.”
Trump discussed the secret aircraft switch with reporters Tuesday, saying he followed the instructions given to him by the Secret Service and military officials responsible for his security.
“Well, it’s only up to Secret Service. I just follow what they’d like to do, so I go by Secret Service and the military. They wanted me to go in a different flight, a different plane … but they wanted me to do it, so I do it. I do what they say, Trump explained.
“I guess there was a threat out there. I didn’t really ask too much about it. I get a lot of threats. I have a lot of threats that you don’t know about,” he added.
Trump also used his remarks to reiterate his deep distrust of the Iranian government while asserting that the United States currently holds a commanding position in its confrontation with Tehran.
“Iran is going fine, going just absolutely fine,” Trump remarked to reporters on the tarmac following an official trip to Ohio.
The president said he remains deeply skeptical of anything Iranian leaders say and claimed the United States currently has complete control over the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz.
“I’m the last person to trust Iran. They’ve lied to me constantly. We have total control over the Hormuz Strait right now. They don’t have control. We have total control. We own it. And at some point, maybe they’ll do something, and then they get blown away.”
He continued, “But we right now, we’re in a very good position. We have a country that has been the bully of the Middle East for 50 years. It’s been saying 47 for four years. And they’re no longer the bully of the Middle East.”
Trump’s latest comments followed questions he faced a day earlier about his warning that ongoing diplomatic negotiations represented Tehran’s final opportunity to reach an agreement before facing “decapitation.”
Asked what would happen next if Iran failed to satisfy U.S. demands, Trump offered a terse response.
“You’ll find out.”
When pressed on whether another major military escalation against Iran remained a possibility, the president made clear that the United States retains that option.
“Well, we certainly have that ability if we want to do that. You’ll find out.”
