Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu painted a picture of simultaneous collapse on Friday, describing Iran’s mullahs as scrambling for power while the country’s military crumbled under Israeli pressure. He announced the elimination of Tehran’s uranium enrichment and ballistic missile production capabilities after twenty days of conflict and rejected claims about Israeli manipulation of US foreign policy. Netanyahu was confident and comprehensive throughout the press conference, projecting certainty about the conflict’s approaching end.
The prime minister addressed the Trump-Israel relationship with characteristic directness. 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 deep understanding of Iran’s nuclear threat to their discussions, enriching their shared strategic framework.
Netanyahu confirmed Israel struck the South Pars gas compound alone and disclosed Trump’s personal request to pause further attacks on Iranian gas facilities. He treated both facts transparently, framing them as natural elements of a close and functioning alliance. Netanyahu maintained throughout that Israel’s military autonomy remained fully intact.
On the Hormuz issue, Netanyahu called Iran’s closure threats empty blackmail. He proposed pipeline routes from the Arabian Peninsula to Israeli and Mediterranean ports as a lasting structural solution. Netanyahu argued this would permanently neutralize the Hormuz chokepoint and reduce global vulnerability to Iranian maritime pressure.
Netanyahu concluded with analysis of Iran’s leadership dysfunction. He noted Mojtaba had not appeared publicly and admitted genuine uncertainty about who was governing the country. Netanyahu pointed to the intense competition for power among Tehran’s ruling factions and concluded that this political chaos, combined with military losses, was driving the conflict toward a faster-than-expected end.