Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stepped before reporters on Friday with a message of decisive progress, announcing that Iran’s ability to enrich uranium and manufacture ballistic missiles had been completely eliminated after twenty days of intensive Israeli military operations. He rejected suggestions that Israel had engineered American entry into the war, calling such characterizations deliberate misinformation. Netanyahu’s overall message was one of military achievement and strategic optimism, with the prime minister expressing genuine belief that the conflict was approaching its conclusion faster than anticipated.
The prime minister devoted significant time to addressing his relationship with US President Donald Trump. He described their coordination as something no two leaders had previously achieved, while positioning Trump firmly as the leading partner in the alliance. Netanyahu disclosed that Trump had brought his own fully formed and analytically sophisticated understanding of Iran’s nuclear program to their discussions, rather than simply receiving briefings from Israeli officials. This framing emphasized the quality and independence of Trump’s strategic judgment.
Netanyahu confirmed that Israel had struck Iran’s South Pars gas compound entirely on its own initiative, without American military participation. He also disclosed that Trump had personally communicated a request to hold off on further strikes targeting Iran’s gas infrastructure. Netanyahu presented this exchange with transparency, framing it as a natural element of close and respectful allied communication while maintaining that Israel’s military decision-making remained fully autonomous.
The prime minister called out Iran’s threats to seal the Strait of Hormuz as a desperate attempt to blackmail the global community. He proposed building overland pipeline corridors from the Arabian Peninsula westward to Israeli and Mediterranean ports, creating a structural alternative to Hormuz-dependent energy routes. Netanyahu argued this infrastructure was both a practical wartime solution and a long-term investment in regional energy security.
Closing his remarks, Netanyahu observed that cracks were becoming visible within Iran’s new leadership structure. He noted publicly that the anticipated new supreme leader, Mojtaba, had not appeared in any public forum since the conflict began. Netanyahu said he was genuinely uncertain who was running Iran and believed the combination of military losses and political confusion in Tehran was driving the war toward an accelerated conclusion.