War by Proxy: How Israel and Russia Are Pulling America Apart Over Iran
By Michael Kelman Portney
Let’s cut the crap and call it like it is: when it comes to the next war with Iran, you’re not watching an American debate—you’re watching a tug-of-war between two foreign powers fighting for control of U.S. foreign policy. It’s Israel versus Russia, and Washington is their chessboard. The pieces? Senators, influencers, TV hosts, and yes, your taxpayer-funded military.
And here’s the sickest part: we’ve seen this playbook before. Just not this naked.
ACT I: THE NEW AXIS OF ANTI-WAR
Let’s start with the strange bedfellows. The loudest voices screaming “NO WAR WITH IRAN” aren’t just hippie doves and war-weary progressives—they’re MAGA Republicans, isolationist libertarians, and Tucker Carlson acolytes who wouldn’t give a shit about Tehran’s human rights record if it were printed on their steak tartare.
What unites them isn’t love for Iran. It’s a strategic alignment—intentional or not—with Russian geopolitical interests.
TULSI: PUTIN’S FAVORITE “PATRIOT”
Former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard is the poster child of this axis. A one-woman anti-war wrecking ball with a military résumé and a flag-draped aesthetic, Gabbard calls out U.S. regime change wars like she’s auditioning for a Russian state TV slot. Actually, scratch that—she already has. Kremlin-controlled media have praised her as a “superwoman,” joked about her being a “Russian agent,” and aired her clips as propaganda gold.
She once flew to Syria to meet with Bashar al-Assad (yes, the guy who gassed his own people), and her testimony as Trump’s fictional DNI in 2025—that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon—lined up perfectly with what Putin needed to slow-roll U.S. escalation.
She’s not alone.
RAND PAUL: THE LIBERTARIAN BACKCHANNEL
Senator Rand Paul, that lonely voice of libertarian restraint in the GOP, has opposed every war that makes Lockheed Martin happy. His opposition to bombing Iran goes back years, including condemning Trump’s assassination of General Qassem Soleimani as “the death of diplomacy.”
What’s interesting is Paul’s side quests: hand-delivering a letter from Trump to Putin in Moscow, opposing Ukraine funding, and serving as a de facto conduit for Russian-friendly foreign policy. He would say he’s standing on principle. The Russians say “thank you” every time he opens his mouth.
MAGA’S ANTI-WAR AVATAR: TUCKER CARLSON
Tucker Carlson may be a blow-dried chaos agent, but in 2019 he literally talked Trump out of bombing Iran. Russian TV loves airing his segments. Why? Because Tucker’s version of nationalism—“America First”—means fewer missiles headed toward Russian allies like Iran.
His views are echoed by fellow chaos caucus members like Matt Gaetz and Tim Burchett, who recently called warmongering GOP colleagues “war pimps.” Think about that: a Republican calling other Republicans warmongering shills? That’s a realignment.
ACT II: THE ISRAELI WAR MACHINE IN CONGRESS
Now turn your gaze 180 degrees. Who’s foaming at the mouth to bomb Iran? Who’s treating diplomacy like an anti-Semitic insult? Who’s already composing their “We Stand With Israel” tweets before the first missile lands?
Enter the pro-Israel hawks. Bought, branded, and ready for battle.
TOM COTTON: THE ISRAEL LOBBY’S GOLDEN BOY
If AIPAC could clone a senator, they’d name it Tom Cotton. Backed by donors like Paul Singer and the late Sheldon “Nuke the Iranian Desert” Adelson, Cotton’s career has been one long love letter to Netanyahu’s foreign policy.
In 2015, as a rookie senator, Cotton authored the infamous letter to Iran’s Ayatollah warning that Obama’s nuclear deal would be worthless. That letter was blessed in advance by neocon godfather Bill Kristol—and possibly illegal under the Logan Act. Didn’t matter. It made pro-Israel billionaires smile, and Cotton’s checks kept clearing.
In 2025, when Israel bombed Iranian nuclear sites, Cotton was giddy: “If the ayatollahs harm a single American, it will be the end of the ayatollahs.” His position? Bomb now. Talk never.
LINDSEY GRAHAM: RJC’S ATTACK DOG
Senator Lindsey Graham is like a wind-up toy programmed to bark “protect Israel!” every time Iran breathes. The Republican Jewish Coalition dumped over a million dollars into his last re-election campaign—and that’s not charity. It’s a retainer.
When Israel launched airstrikes in 2025, Graham tweeted “Game on. Pray for Israel,” like he was watching Monday Night Football. The man wants regime change in Tehran like it’s 2003 all over again. And like Cotton, Graham has long been a fixture at AIPAC galas, cracking jokes about bombing the Middle East while donors raise their champagne flutes.
TED CRUZ: THE HAWK WITH TWO HANDLERS
Then there’s Ted Cruz, who somehow manages to be in both camps at once. He’s anti-Ukraine, soft on Russia, yet frothing at the mouth to nuke Tehran. How? Because Cruz’s Christian Zionist base sees Israel not just as an ally—but as the site of Armageddon.
So when Israel bombs Iran, Cruz demands regime change, citing Scripture and Israeli briefings in the same breath. That contradiction doesn’t matter to him—because it’s not about logic. It’s about fundraising.
ACT III: LOBBIES, MONEY, AND HANDLERS
Let’s talk about the machinery behind the curtain: money.
The Israel lobby isn’t a conspiracy. It’s a registered juggernaut with a PAC, a donor pipeline, and a kill list of politicians who don’t fall in line. AIPAC, the Republican Jewish Coalition, United Against Nuclear Iran—these groups have one goal: ensure Israel’s strategic supremacy, even if it drags the U.S. into another catastrophic war.
They do it with:
Donor cash: Sheldon Adelson and Paul Singer didn’t give millions out of patriotism.
Media pressure: Call for diplomacy? Expect a coordinated smear campaign.
Policy writing: AIPAC literally writes press releases and sends them to members of Congress to post verbatim.
When Israel struck Iran in 2025, AIPAC started calling members of Congress and handing them talking points. One House member reported “100 phone calls” in a day.
And on the other side? Russia doesn’t have PACs. They don’t need them. They have bots, influencers, and a media arm that pumps American discontent into every crevice of the internet.
ACT IV: THE AMERICAN CHESSBOARD
Here’s what we’re left with:
Pro-war voices: funded by pro-Israel donors, tied to hawkish think tanks, echoing Netanyahu’s fears.
Anti-war voices: celebrated by Russian media, tied to anti-globalist movements, echoing Kremlin skepticism of American power.
Neither side is acting fully in America’s interest.
And that’s the kicker.
Because a war with Iran doesn’t make sense for the U.S.—not strategically, not economically, and sure as hell not morally. It would destabilize the region, spike global oil prices, kill civilians, risk American troops, and potentially ignite a wider war that sucks in Russia, China, and Israel.
But that’s not stopping our politicians. Because they’re not just responding to voters. They’re reacting to handlers. Not in the shadowy conspiracy sense—but in the very real world of campaign finance, foreign policy briefings, and private influence dinners.
EPILOGUE: WHOSE WAR IS IT ANYWAY?
Ask yourself this:
Why are the loudest Iran hawks in Washington almost always swimming in pro-Israel cash?
Why do the most consistent anti-war voices get airtime on Russian TV and praise from RT?
Why are American voters barely a blip in this equation?
Because this isn't your war. It’s a proxy conflict between two foreign governments playing tug-of-war with American democracy. One wants regime change in Tehran. The other wants America tied down in a quagmire.
And caught in the middle is you. The citizen. The taxpayer. The soldier.
So next time you hear a politician screaming about Iran’s “imminent threat,” ask who’s funding their campaign. Ask whose talking points they’re quoting. And ask whether we’re walking into war for America’s interests—or for someone else’s.
Follow the handlers. Follow the money. And stay loud.
Because the American people didn’t ask for this war.
But we’re the ones who’ll be paying for it.
