Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used striking imagery on Friday, declaring that Iran’s nuclear program had been its crown jewel and that Israel had just taken it away through twenty days of intensive military operations. He announced the elimination of Iran’s uranium enrichment and ballistic missile production capabilities and rejected claims about Israeli manipulation of US foreign policy. Netanyahu projected quiet confidence throughout the press conference, suggesting the war’s conclusion was imminent.
The prime minister addressed the Trump-Israel alliance in detailed terms. He called their coordination historically unprecedented and framed Trump as the partnership’s dominant force. Netanyahu revealed that Trump had brought an independently formed and deeply analytical understanding of Iran’s nuclear threat to their discussions, contributing insights that enriched their shared strategy.
Netanyahu confirmed Israel struck the South Pars gas compound alone and disclosed Trump’s personal request to hold off on further attacks on Iranian gas facilities. He handled both the military action and the diplomatic communication transparently, presenting them as natural features of a close and functioning alliance. Netanyahu maintained throughout that Israel’s operational independence remained fully intact.
On the Hormuz question, Netanyahu dismissed Iran’s closure threats as global blackmail that would fail. He proposed pipeline routes from the Arabian Peninsula to Israeli and Mediterranean ports as a permanent structural solution. Netanyahu argued this infrastructure would create lasting energy security and permanently neutralize one of Iran’s most powerful strategic weapons.
Netanyahu concluded with commentary on Iran’s visible leadership breakdown. He said Mojtaba had not appeared publicly since fighting began and admitted he did not know who was governing the country. Netanyahu pointed to the intense competition for power in Tehran and concluded that this political chaos, combined with military losses, was driving the war toward a sooner-than-expected conclusion.