Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu painted a stark picture of Iranian vulnerability on Friday, declaring that the country’s leaders were hiding from public view while its military had been effectively broken after twenty days of conflict. He announced that Iran had lost all uranium enrichment and ballistic missile capabilities and predicted the war would end sooner than most anticipated. Netanyahu rejected claims about Israeli manipulation of US foreign policy throughout the press conference.
The prime minister addressed the Trump-Israel relationship with characteristic warmth and precision. He described their coordination as historically unmatched and framed Trump as the partnership’s driving force. Netanyahu revealed that Trump had contributed his own independently formed and deeply analytical understanding of Iran’s nuclear threat to their discussions, reflecting a genuine partnership of strategic equals.
Netanyahu confirmed Israel struck the South Pars gas compound alone and disclosed Trump’s personal request to hold off on further attacks on Iranian gas facilities. He handled both disclosures transparently, treating them as natural features of an extraordinary 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 overland pipeline routes from the Arabian Peninsula to Israeli and Mediterranean ports as a lasting structural solution. Netanyahu argued this infrastructure would permanently neutralize the Hormuz chokepoint and create durable energy security.
Netanyahu ended with observations about Iran’s visible leadership breakdown. He said Mojtaba had not been seen publicly since the conflict began and admitted genuine uncertainty about who was governing the country. Netanyahu pointed to the intense competition for power in Tehran and concluded that this instability, combined with military losses, was driving the war toward a faster-than-expected conclusion.