Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used vivid language on Friday to describe the conflict’s outcome, declaring that the war had removed Iran’s nuclear fangs and left the world a safer place. He announced the elimination of Tehran’s uranium enrichment and ballistic missile production capabilities following twenty days of conflict and rejected claims about Israeli manipulation of US foreign policy. Netanyahu projected strong confidence throughout the press conference that the formal end of hostilities was approaching rapidly.
The prime minister addressed the Trump-Israel partnership with admiration and analytical precision. He described their coordination as historically unprecedented and framed Trump as the alliance’s dominant force. Netanyahu disclosed that Trump had contributed his own independently developed understanding of Iran’s nuclear threat to their discussions, demonstrating the depth of the American president’s independent strategic thinking on the Iranian danger.
Netanyahu confirmed Israel struck the South Pars gas compound alone and disclosed Trump’s personal request to hold off on further strikes targeting Iranian gas facilities. He treated both facts transparently, framing them as natural elements of a close and mature alliance. Netanyahu was consistent throughout in asserting that Israel’s military decision-making remained subject to no external authority.
On the Hormuz question, Netanyahu dismissed Iran’s closure threats as blackmail that would not work. He proposed overland pipeline routes from the Arabian Peninsula to Israeli and Mediterranean ports as a lasting structural solution. Netanyahu argued this infrastructure would create durable energy security and permanently neutralize the Hormuz chokepoint as a weapon in Tehran’s geopolitical arsenal.
Netanyahu concluded with observations about Iran’s visible leadership dysfunction. He noted Mojtaba had not been seen publicly since fighting began and admitted genuine uncertainty about who was governing the country. Netanyahu pointed to the fierce competition for power in Tehran and concluded that this political instability, combined with military losses, was driving the conflict toward a faster-than-expected conclusion.