Speaking at CPAC, Josh Hammer, senior editor at Newsweek, is forcefully pushing back against a growing narrative on the right that Israel dragged the United States toward a potential war with Iran.

Hammer did not mince words, calling out what he described as “grifters” claiming that. He was referring to the likes of, Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson as leading voices advancing that argument.

According to Hammer, the idea that Israel is dictating U.S. foreign policy is not only false, but dangerously misleading.

He pointed to what he says is a critical and often ignored reality: President Donald Trump has been openly warning about the threat posed by Iran for more than 40 years. Long before entering politics, Trump was speaking about Iran in interviews dating back to the 1980s, advocating for strong and decisive action.

In Hammer’s view, this history completely undermines the claim that current tensions are being driven by Israel. Instead, he argues, concern over Iran has long been rooted in American strategic thinking and leadership.

Hammer stressed that framing the situation as Israel manipulating the United States feeds into a distorted and simplistic narrative that ignores decades of consistent U.S. policy positions.

The remarks come amid an increasingly visible split within conservative circles, as prominent commentators clash over Israel, Iran, and the broader role of the United States in the Middle East