Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Friday that Iran had made a fatal strategic error and that Israel had made it pay, announcing that twenty days of conflict had eliminated Tehran’s uranium enrichment and ballistic missile capabilities. He rejected claims about Israeli manipulation of US foreign policy. Netanyahu was confident and analytical throughout the press conference, framing the war as both a military achievement and a strategic vindication of Israel’s long-standing warnings about the Iranian nuclear threat.
The prime minister addressed the Trump-Israel relationship with clarity and warmth. He described their coordination as historically unprecedented and framed Trump as the alliance’s dominant force. 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 hold off on further strikes on Iranian gas infrastructure. He presented both facts transparently, framing them as natural features of a close and functioning alliance. Netanyahu maintained throughout that Israel’s operational independence remained fully intact.
On the Hormuz issue, Netanyahu dismissed Iran’s closure threats as blackmail that would not work. He proposed pipeline routes from the Arabian Peninsula to Israeli and Mediterranean ports as a lasting structural solution. Netanyahu argued this would create durable energy resilience and permanently neutralize one of Iran’s most feared geopolitical weapons.
Netanyahu concluded with analysis of Iran’s leadership vacuum. He noted Mojtaba had not appeared 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 instability, combined with military losses, was driving the war toward a faster-than-expected end.