In a Friday press conference, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu drew a stark picture of Iran’s degraded military state after twenty days of conflict, declaring that the country had lost its ability to enrich uranium or manufacture ballistic missiles. He rejected claims of Israeli responsibility for US involvement in the war and expressed strong optimism about the conflict’s direction. Netanyahu’s tone was confident and strategic throughout the briefing.
Netanyahu’s comments on the US-Israel dynamic emphasized mutual conviction over pressure or manipulation. He argued that Trump was an independent and strong-minded leader who did not need to be convinced of anything by Israel. Netanyahu revealed that Trump had in fact provided him with a deeper understanding of certain aspects of the Iranian nuclear threat, framing their relationship as one of genuine intellectual and strategic partnership.
The prime minister confirmed that Israel struck the South Pars gas compound independently and disclosed Trump’s personal request to pause further attacks on Iranian gas infrastructure. He presented this exchange as a natural and transparent function of an extraordinary alliance. Netanyahu was clear that Israel retained full autonomy over its military decisions despite the closeness of its coordination with Washington.
Netanyahu dismissed Iran’s Hormuz closure threats as empty blackmail. He proposed building pipeline corridors from the Arabian Peninsula to Israeli and Mediterranean ports as a lasting alternative. Netanyahu argued this would permanently neutralize the Hormuz chokepoint as a weapon in Iran’s geopolitical arsenal.
Netanyahu concluded with an analysis of Iran’s leadership dysfunction, noting that Mojtaba had not appeared publicly since the war began. He said he was genuinely uncertain about who was governing Iran and pointed to visible tensions among rival factions in Tehran. These signs of internal fracture, combined with devastating military losses, led Netanyahu to believe the war was heading toward an end sooner than most anticipated.