Marc Zell, chairman of Republicans Overseas Israel, said President Donald Trump’s primary objective regarding Iran remains clear: preventing Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons and curbing its regional influence — even as uncertainty continues to surround how far Washington is prepared to go militarily.
Zell told ynet Global that Trump’s decision-making process is often difficult to predict but insisted the president listens to a broad range of opinions before acting. “Nobody really knows what he’s going to do except for him himself,” Zell said. “He listens carefully. He likes different points of view.”
In the ynet studio: Republicans Overseas Israel chairman Marc Zell
(Video: Yaron Brenner)
Zell said both the Trump administration and the Israeli government share the same strategic goal of ensuring Iran cannot develop nuclear weapons or expand its ballistic missile capabilities. However, he noted a key difference between Washington and Jerusalem regarding regime change in Tehran. “Unlike Israel, the United States is not talking about regime change,” Zell said, adding that in his personal view, removing Iran’s current leadership is “ultimately the only solution.”
Addressing criticism of Trump from within parts of the Republican Party, Zell dismissed isolationist voices as a small minority with limited influence. He pointed to recent divisions over U.S. military policy in the Senate but argued most Republicans remain firmly behind the president. He also criticized conservative commentators including Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens, saying their positions increasingly overlap with anti-Israel rhetoric from the far left.
Zell warned that antisemitism in the United States has become increasingly open and socially acceptable across political and cultural institutions. “Antisemitism has never gone away in the United States,” he said. “Over the years it was very unfashionable to be antisemitic in the United States. That has changed.” He argued that rhetoric once considered fringe is now appearing in universities, media outlets and mainstream political discourse.
On the broader confrontation with Iran, Zell said economic warfare may ultimately have greater impact than direct military action. He pointed to concerns over Iranian influence in the Strait of Hormuz, alleged efforts to bypass sanctions through cryptocurrency and attempts to expand control over critical undersea internet infrastructure. Despite those challenges, Zell expressed confidence that the United States and Israel would ultimately prevail through what he described as “creative and effective solutions.”
Zell argued that while Israelis primarily view the Iran conflict through the lens of national security, American voters remain focused on economic consequences, including fuel and food prices. “When elections are coming up in the United States, that’s all it’s about,” he said. “It’s about the American pocket.”