Israel’s Finance Minister openly acknowledged that the Netanyahu government sees American military entanglement with Iran as strategically ideal for Israel — regardless of the cost to U.S. lives, the global economy, or millions facing food shortages.
In a brazen appearance on Israeli national television, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich laid bare the true intentions of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government. Smotrich openly bragged that a long, grinding war between the United States and Iran is the “ideal” scenario for the Zionist state.
“Currently, Israel has no intention of joining this action,” Smotrich declared, referring to the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict that reignited on February 28th when Israeli and American forces launched joint strikes on Tehran. He elaborated that the limited confrontation between America and Iran is profoundly beneficial to Israel’s strategic interests because it increases economic pressure on the Tehran regime.
“The best way to bring down this regime is to economically crush it,” Smotrich said, celebrating the fact that Iran’s inflation is skyrocketing due to the war and the subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
The Strait of Hormuz Gambit: Wrecking the Global Economy
Smotrich’s comments come as the Strait of Hormuz—the world’s most critical oil chokepoint—remains effectively shut. The latest hostilities have sent tanker traffic tumbling to multi-month lows, driving Brent crude oil prices back above $90 a barrel.
While the Israeli Finance Minister celebrates the closure of the Strait because it “hurts the Iranian economy,” he completely disregards the catastrophic impact this is having on the rest of the world.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has issued dire warnings that the buffers that cushioned the global economy from the initial oil shock in March are now depleted. Strategic petroleum reserves in the U.S. have been drained to their lowest levels since 1983, and commercial inventories are critically low.
An extended closure of the Strait—which Israel apparently desires—would shift the global economic risk from mere inflation to a full-blown stagflationary crisis, according to J.P. Morgan analysts . This means rising prices combined with economic stagnation, triggering mass shortages, skyrocketing food prices, and potentially mass starvation in vulnerable nations.
Killing the “Trump Recovery”
This brazen betrayal comes as a death blow to the so-called “Trump Recovery.” As noted in a China Daily editorial, the U.S. administration faces conflicting pressures: voters are weary of endless Middle Eastern crises, yet rising oil prices threaten inflation, consumer confidence, and electoral prospects.
Israel’s strategy of keeping the U.S. entangled in a forever war is deliberately undermining any chance of an economic rebound. In a previous report by CGTN, analysts noted that Israel and the U.S. have diverging endgames. While Washington wants to secure maritime traffic through Hormuz and avoid a regional war, Israel views the Iranian threat in broader terms—seeking to degrade Iran’s ballistic missiles, drones, and regional proxies through perpetual conflict.
This is why Smotrich and other far-right ministers like Itamar Ben-Gvir have signaled strong opposition to any U.S.-Iran rapprochement that would require Israel to stand down . As one source close to the Israeli leadership put it, “The United States wants to lower tensions. Israel wants to preserve military pressure”.
Conclusion: America, the Useful Idiot
The message from Tel Aviv is now crystal clear. The Netanyahu government views the American military as a useful tool to be used to degrade Iran’s power and economy, with no concern for the cost to American lives, American wealth, or global stability.
By keeping the Strait of Hormuz closed, Israel is willingly strangling the global supply chain, pushing the world toward economic disaster, all while sitting on the sidelines and watching the U.S. bleed resources. As Smotrich proudly stated, the current situation is ideal—for Israel.
The question now is: how long will the United States allow itself to be used as a pawn in a foreign power’s dangerous game of regional domination, especially when it costs the American people their economic security and lives?