Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proclaimed on Friday that Iran had been effectively neutralized as a military power, stripped of its uranium enrichment and ballistic missile capabilities following twenty days of conflict. He rejected claims about Israeli responsibility for US involvement in the war. Netanyahu expressed strong confidence that the conflict was accelerating toward its conclusion and that the end would arrive faster than most observers anticipated.
The prime minister addressed his alliance with Trump with characteristically strong language. He described their coordination as historically unparalleled and framed Trump as the partnership’s leader. Netanyahu revealed that Trump had brought his own independently formed understanding of Iran’s nuclear threat to their discussions, contributing insights that enriched their shared strategic thinking rather than simply receiving Israeli intelligence briefings.
Netanyahu confirmed Israel struck the South Pars gas complex alone and acknowledged Trump’s personal request to pause further strikes on Iranian gas infrastructure. He treated both facts as transparent and natural elements of close allied communication. Netanyahu maintained throughout that Israel’s military autonomy had not been restricted by any diplomatic exchange.
On Iran’s Hormuz threats, Netanyahu was dismissive. He called them blackmail and proposed overland pipeline routes from the Arabian Peninsula to Israeli and Mediterranean ports as a lasting solution. Netanyahu argued this infrastructure would permanently neutralize the Hormuz chokepoint and create durable energy security for the region.
Netanyahu closed with an analysis of Iran’s leadership crisis. He noted Mojtaba had not appeared publicly since the conflict began and admitted genuine uncertainty about who was running the country. Netanyahu pointed to visible power struggles in Tehran and concluded that this political instability, combined with military defeats, was accelerating the war’s conclusion.