Huckabee says Iran’s ‘ultimate goal is the destruction of the US’
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said during his speech at the Israel National Security Studies conference that President Donald Trump has made it clear that Iran should not turn to nuclear energy. (Video: Israel National Security Studies.)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking a meeting with President Donald Trump as Israeli officials warn that recent Iranian missile exercises could be used as cover for a surprise attack, adding renewed urgency to Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and military posture ahead of expected December 29 talks.
These concerns were publicly expressed on Monday by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who warned that Iran’s nuclear ambitions and military posture pose a direct threat not only to Israel, but also to the United States and Europe.
Huckabee said Monday at the Israel Institute for National Security conference that Trump has maintained a consistent red line on Iran. “All I can do is point out to you what the president has said repeatedly, and he has said consistently, that Iran will never enrich uranium, and they will not have a nuclear weapon,” he said.
ISRAELI PRESIDENT ISAAC HERZOG THANKS TRUMP FOR ‘HISTORIC’ IRAN STRIKE
A police officer stands guard during a demonstration in honor of the Iranian armed forces, following the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, on June 24, 2025 in Tehran. (Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)
“It is a threat, but not only to Israel, not only to the United States. This is a real threat to all of Europe,” he added. “And if the Europeans don’t understand this, then they are even stupider than I sometimes think.”
Huckabee suggested in his interview that Iran may not have taken this message seriously until U.S. military action earlier this year. “I don’t know if they ever took him seriously until the night the B-2 bombers went to Fordow,” Huckabee said. “I hope they got the message, but apparently they didn’t get the full message because, as you said, they seem to be trying to reconstruct the hole and find a new way to dig the hole deeper and make it more secure,” he said at the conference.
Huckabee also described Iran’s long-standing threats as fundamentally aimed at Washington. “Iran has threatened America for 46 years in a row, starting in 1979, when the ayatollahs took power,” he said. “They have always said in the same sentence: ‘Death to Israel, death to America’.”
“Israel is just the appetizer because you are closer and an easier target than the vast geographic expanse that the United States represents,” Huckabee continued. “But they have never hidden the fact that their real goal, their ultimate goal, is to destroy the United States.”
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A drone shot shows a hit residential site, after an early morning missile attack from Iran on Israel, in Be’er Sheva, June 24, 2025. (Yonatan Honig/Reuters)
The comments come amid heightened concern in Israel over recent Iranian military activity. According to Axios, Israeli officials warned the Trump administration this weekend that an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps missile exercise “could be a preparation for an attack on Israel,” citing three Israeli and American sources with knowledge of the matter. One Israeli source told Axios that while intelligence services are currently showing troop movements inside Iran, Israel’s tolerance for risk is much lower than it was before Hamas’ attack on October 7, 2023.
The source dismissed speculation that the exercises indicated an imminent coordinated military action with Washington. “If we were planning an attack with the US, it probably wouldn’t end up in the media,” the official said.
UN NUCLEAR CHIEF SAYS IRAN HAS MATERIAL TO BUILD BOMBS, BUT NO PLAN TO DO SO
President Donald Trump greets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he arrives at the White House for a meeting on April 7, 2025. (Chen Mengtong/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)
The official acknowledged that the Iranian activity has also changed the domestic political conversation in Israel, including the debate over the draft anti-circumvention legislation. “Headlines in Israel are now about the Iranian threat rather than the bill,” the official said. “Is it spin? Is there something special? Is there truth? Maybe. But we must always be prepared.”
NBC News reported Saturday that Netanyahu plans to use his meeting with Trump to argue that Iran’s renewed expansion of its ballistic missile program poses a growing threat that could require quick action. According to the report, Netanyahu is expected to emphasize that Iran’s activities endanger not only Israel, but also broader regional stability and American interests.
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Iranians burn American flags during an anti-American demonstration outside the former U.S. Embassy headquarters in Tehran, May 9, 2018. (Ali Mohammadi/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
NBC reported that Netanyahu is expected to present Trump with several options, including possible US involvement or support, should Israel determine that additional military action against Iran is necessary.
When Trump was asked Thursday about a possible meeting with Netanyahu on December 29, he told reporters: “We haven’t formally agreed yet, but he would like to see me.” Israeli officials have announced that a meeting is planned for December 29.
