U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told Newsmax on Thursday that President Donald Trump should use next week's State of the Union address to make clear that any potential military action against Iran is not simply a regional conflict, but a matter of direct American security.
"I think it's important that he's very clear that this is an American issue," Huckabee told "Ed Henry The Big Take." "There are so many Americans who say, 'What does this have to do with us? This is an Israel issue, or this is a Middle East issue.' It is not."
As speculation grows that a possible U.S. military campaign against Iran could last "weeks," not just "a day or two," Huckabee said the president must prepare the public by explaining the broader threat posed by Tehran.
"Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, all are proxies of the Iranian government," Huckabee said. "They have moved throughout the world. Hezbollah has significant presence throughout the Western Hemisphere. It is a direct threat to the United States."
Tensions have escalated amid stalled negotiations over Iran's nuclear program. The Trump administration has sought to curb Tehran's uranium enrichment activities, while also increasing the U.S. military presence in the Middle East in recent months, including additional naval and air assets, as a deterrent against Iranian-backed forces operating in Gaza, Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen.
Huckabee argued that Iran's hostility toward the U.S. spans decades and should not be viewed solely through the lens of its conflict with Israel.
"This is an Iran that hired an assassin to try to kill President Trump, that has killed thousands of Americans over the course of the past 47 years," he said. "And if they were able to obtain a long-range ballistic missile with nuclear capability, they would launch it in a heartbeat."
Beyond immediate security concerns, Huckabee suggested regime change in Tehran could transform the region.
"The end of the Iranian regime would finally mean that there would be a complete realignment and a level of peace in the Middle East that we have not seen since the '70s," he said.
Trump is expected to outline his foreign policy priorities, including Iran, in Tuesday's nationally televised address.
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