Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a sweeping declaration of Israeli strategic dominance on Friday, asserting that Iran’s threats were empty and its nuclear capabilities gone after twenty days of conflict that eliminated Tehran’s uranium enrichment and ballistic missile production infrastructure. He declared the war was ending on Israel’s terms and rejected claims about Israeli manipulation of US foreign policy. Netanyahu was triumphant and forward-looking throughout the press conference.
The prime minister addressed his relationship with Trump with characteristic directness. He called their coordination historically unprecedented and framed Trump as the alliance’s dominant figure. Netanyahu revealed 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 strikes on Iranian gas infrastructure. He presented both facts transparently, treating them as natural elements of a close and communicative alliance. Netanyahu maintained throughout that Israel’s operational independence remained fully intact.
On the Hormuz question, Netanyahu called Iran’s closure threats hollow blackmail. He proposed overland pipeline corridors from the Arabian Peninsula to Israeli and Mediterranean ports as a lasting structural solution. Netanyahu argued this would permanently eliminate the Hormuz chokepoint as a weapon in Iran’s geopolitical arsenal.
Netanyahu concluded with analysis of Iran’s leadership chaos. He noted Mojtaba had not appeared publicly 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 an end sooner than most anticipated.