Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a stark judgment on Friday, declaring that Iran had played a dangerous game with its nuclear program and had ultimately lost, with twenty days of conflict eliminating the country’s uranium enrichment and ballistic missile production capabilities. He rejected claims about Israeli manipulation of US foreign policy and expressed confidence the war was nearing its end. Netanyahu was firm and analytically confident throughout the press conference.
The prime minister addressed the Trump-Israel relationship with characteristic directness. He described their coordination as historically unprecedented and framed Trump as the dominant partner. Netanyahu revealed that Trump had contributed his own independently formed and analytically sophisticated understanding of Iran’s nuclear threat to their discussions, enriching their shared strategic thinking.
Netanyahu confirmed Israel struck the South Pars gas compound alone and disclosed Trump’s personal request to pause further attacks on Iranian gas infrastructure. He presented both facts transparently, treating them as natural features of a close and communicative alliance. Netanyahu maintained throughout that Israel’s military autonomy remained fully intact.
On the Hormuz issue, Netanyahu called Iran’s closure threats empty blackmail. He proposed pipeline routes from the Arabian Peninsula to Israeli and Mediterranean ports as a permanent structural solution. Netanyahu argued this would create lasting energy resilience and permanently neutralize the Hormuz chokepoint.
Netanyahu concluded with analysis of Iran’s leadership collapse. He noted Mojtaba had not been seen publicly and admitted genuine uncertainty about who was governing the country. Netanyahu pointed to fierce competition among Tehran’s ruling factions and concluded that this political instability, combined with military losses, was pushing the conflict toward a faster-than-expected conclusion.