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Bruce Pearl said President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have his full unconditional support in their war against Iran.
“They do have my support and my prayers, and I’m grateful for their courage,” the legendary former Auburn men’s basketball coach told Digital.
As the U.S. and Israeli militaries continue to carry out a joint operation against Iran after eliminating the head of the Ayatollah, Pearl admits he does have anxieties about what comes next, especially as it relates to potential American and Israeli causalities.
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Auburn Tigers former mens basketball head coach Bruce Pearl walks on the field before the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field. (Troy Taormina/Imagn Images)
Pearl has multiple friends and family members in Israel as Iran carries out its counter-attack, and six American servicemembers have already been confirmed killed since the violence started.
Pearl placed blame on former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden for agreeing to deals that resulted in finances going to Iran over the last decade plus.
“I think President Obama was well-intentioned, but his decision was costly and wrong,” Pearl said. “He funded the terrorists who rebuilt Hezbollah, who rebuilt Hamas, who rebuilt the Houthis. The United States government is responsible in part for funding Iran’s war and terror.
“President Trump doesn’t want war, but he’s also not going to look the other way and let Iran terrorize the Middle East, which they did. And so then what does President Biden do? He comes in and he reverses all the policies that President Trump enacted, and he goes back to refunding Iran and treating them like a normal country. And all they did was re-fund the terrorist, rebuild their weapons.”
The Obama administration transferred $1.7 billion in cash to Iran in 2016 to settle a 1979 arms dispute, while the Biden administration released $10 billion to $16 billion in frozen Iranian oil funds as part of a 2023 prisoner swap and humanitarian trade. The funds were Iranian assets frozen abroad, but not known to be U.S. taxpayer funds.
Pearl told Digital he is personally angered by the Iranian aggression against America in recent decades.
“Iran is the greatest enemy to the world since Adolf Hitler. They have been this country’s number one enemy since 1979. They have killed more Americans than any other country in the world. So what I would say to America, we didn’t start this war. Iran has declared war on us for a long, long time, and they’ve been killing our citizens,” Pearl said.
“They sponsored, funded, and gave the green light to Hamas to commit the atrocities of October 7th. And 46 Americans died. Innocent Americans died that way at the hands of Hamas, who was part of Iran’s proxies. That angers me. That angers me. As an American. And I’m glad that this president is doing something about it.”
Pearl, the chairman of the U.S. Israel Education Association, recalled having to witness the deaths of people he was personally close to due to violence in the Middle East.
“I know hostage families who have lost their lives. I know Israeli friends who have lost sons and daughters. I’ve known Americans who’ve lost family members in Lebanon in 1982, in the barracks, and also in fighting the wars in Iraq,” he said.
Since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel, Pearl says he has encountered pro-Palestinian protesters in America.
The pro-Palestine movement in the United States has evolved into one of the country’s largest and most sustained protest wave sparked by a foreign event in modern history.
Within just two weeks of the initial Oct. 7 attack, the movement rapidly expanded from early vigils to 420 rallies across 46 states, according to the Harvard University Ash Center. By November of that year, the burst of activity had solidified into a sustained national wave broader than any previous pro-Palestine movement in U.S. history, particularly on college campuses.
Now, as America and Israel wage a consequential war on Iran, which could potentially fan the flames of the pro-Palestinian movement in the U.S., Pearl has a message for those protesters.
“If you want to protest, have an understanding what you’re protesting for. I ask you the question. Are women free in Israel or are they free inside of Gaza? Do they in Israel, do they get to go to education, college, school, live a normal, incredible life like any other human being, or are they subject to Sharia law? How can you protest for that? You want to protest? Protest for the Iranian people who are fighting for their freedom,” Pearl said.
“How is it possible that on October 8th, 9th, or 10th, just days after 46 Americans were murdered and 1,200 people were killed and 250 were held hostage. How is it possible that college students were protesting to free Palestine from the river to the sea and supporting Hamas? The free Palestine from the river to the sea is to free Palestine of the Jews from the river to the sea. That means either kill us or remove us.”
Many Americans have been trapped in Israel since the counterstrikes began. This includes at least three American women’s basketball players.
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South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley has led a public effort to bring them home.
Pearl, who admitted he hasn’t heard about those players’ situations, said “when the airspace is safe, they’ll be able to go home.”
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