Anton Fedyashin, associate professor at American University, reminds audiences about the long-standing and significant influence of Israel on US policy. Although there has been a general and significant influence of the Israeli government over all US administrations, "under Trump, this influence is greater than ever before." He argues that the Trump administration was persuaded into misjudging the situation and betting on a swift strike against Iran. That assumption, he notes, proved to be a serious miscalculation.