Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Friday that the war was entering its final chapter and that Iran had no more cards to play, having been stripped of its uranium enrichment and ballistic missile capabilities following twenty days of conflict. He rejected claims about Israeli manipulation of US foreign policy and expressed confidence that the conflict’s formal conclusion was approaching rapidly. Netanyahu was calm, assured, and strategically comprehensive throughout the press conference.
The prime minister spoke about his relationship with Trump in terms that emphasized its historic and strategic importance. He called their coordination historically unprecedented and framed Trump as the dominant partner. 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 acknowledged Trump’s personal request to pause further attacks on Iranian gas infrastructure. He presented both facts transparently, treating them as natural features of a close and mature alliance. Netanyahu was firm that Israel’s military decision-making authority remained fully intact.
On the Hormuz question, Netanyahu dismissed Iran’s closure threats as hollow blackmail that would not succeed. He proposed overland pipeline corridors from the Arabian Peninsula to Israeli and Mediterranean ports as a lasting structural solution. Netanyahu argued this would permanently neutralize the Hormuz chokepoint and create durable energy security for the region.
Netanyahu concluded with analysis of Iran’s internal collapse. 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 conflict toward a faster-than-expected conclusion.