Iran Accuses Netanyahu of Pushing US into Another War to Avoid Prison

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of seeking to drag the United States into another war against Tehran in order to avoid prison. Araghchi warned Washington against taking further military action.

“Netanyahu is pushing America into another war so that he does not go to prison,” Araghchi said in a post on social media platform X, Anadolu Agency reported on Monday (19 October 2026).

Araghchi said Netanyahu was disregarding the potential consequences for Israel and US President Donald Trump.

“The last time you wanted to ‘finish the job’, Iran emerged even stronger. Want to try your luck once more? Go ahead. But be careful: we have unfinished business too,” the Iranian foreign minister said.

The remarks came after Trump voiced support for Netanyahu ahead of Israel’s election, scheduled for 27 October. Trump praised the US-Israel partnership in confronting Iran and warned that Washington might have to intervene itself if Israelis chose another leader.

“If Israel has the wrong leader, anyone other than Bibi, then America will have to do this job itself, and I intend to do it,” Trump said in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, using Netanyahu’s nickname.

Netanyahu has led the Israeli government since late 2022. His administration has been described as the most right-wing in Israel’s history.

Netanyahu is also standing trial in Israel on corruption charges, which could lead to a prison sentence if he is convicted. In addition, the International Criminal Court has had a warrant out for him since 2024 over alleged war crimes in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli opposition parties have stepped up coordination in an effort to replace Netanyahu’s government in the election.