Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Friday that Iran had been outmaneuvered at every turn during the conflict, pointing to the destruction of its uranium enrichment and ballistic missile capabilities after twenty days of fighting as evidence that the war was essentially won. He rejected claims about Israeli manipulation of US foreign policy. Netanyahu was analytical and confident throughout the press conference, projecting certainty about the conflict’s imminent formal conclusion.
The prime minister addressed the Trump-Israel alliance in terms that emphasized its strategic effectiveness. He called their coordination historically unprecedented and framed Trump as the dominant partner. Netanyahu disclosed that Trump had contributed his own independently formed and analytically sophisticated understanding of Iran’s nuclear threat to their discussions, reflecting a genuine partnership of shared conviction.
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 infrastructure. He presented both the military action and the diplomatic communication transparently, treating them as natural features of a close and functioning alliance. Netanyahu maintained throughout that Israel’s military autonomy remained fully intact.
On the Hormuz issue, Netanyahu dismissed Iran’s closure threats as empty blackmail. He proposed pipeline corridors from the Arabian Peninsula to Israeli and Mediterranean ports as a permanent structural solution. Netanyahu argued this infrastructure would create lasting energy resilience and permanently neutralize one of Iran’s most powerful strategic tools.
Netanyahu concluded with analysis of 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 instability, combined with military losses, was pushing the war toward a faster-than-expected conclusion.