Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu answered one of the world’s most pressing strategic questions on Friday, declaring definitively that after twenty days of conflict, Iran could no longer build a nuclear weapon. He announced the elimination of Tehran’s uranium enrichment and ballistic missile production capabilities and rejected claims about Israeli manipulation of US foreign policy. Netanyahu projected strong confidence throughout the briefing, suggesting the formal end of the war was approaching rapidly.
The prime minister addressed the Trump-Israel relationship with characteristic directness. He described their coordination as historically unprecedented and framed Trump as the alliance’s leading figure. Netanyahu disclosed that Trump had brought 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 handled both facts transparently, framing them as natural features of a close and communicative alliance. Netanyahu was clear throughout that Israel’s military autonomy remained fully intact.
On the Hormuz question, Netanyahu dismissed Iran’s closure threats as global blackmail that would not succeed. He proposed overland pipeline corridors from the Arabian Peninsula to Israeli and Mediterranean ports as a permanent structural solution. Netanyahu argued this infrastructure would permanently neutralize the Hormuz chokepoint and insulate global energy markets from Iranian interference.
Netanyahu concluded with observations about Iran’s visible leadership dysfunction. He noted Mojtaba had not been seen publicly and admitted genuine uncertainty about who was governing the country. Netanyahu pointed to fierce competition for power in Tehran and concluded that this political chaos, combined with military losses, was driving the war toward an end sooner than most expected.