Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used a powerful metaphor on Friday, declaring that Iran’s nuclear clock had been reset to zero by Israel’s military strikes, which had eliminated Tehran’s uranium enrichment and ballistic missile production capabilities after twenty days of conflict. He rejected claims about Israeli manipulation of US foreign policy and expressed confidence that the war was heading toward a swift conclusion. Netanyahu was analytical and strategic throughout the press conference.
The prime minister spoke about his relationship with Trump with admiration and precision. He described their coordination as historically unprecedented and framed Trump as the alliance’s dominant force. Netanyahu revealed that Trump had contributed his own independently formed understanding of Iran’s nuclear threat to their discussions, enriching their shared strategy with analytical insights that went beyond standard briefings.
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 handled both facts transparently, presenting them as natural features of a mature and communicative alliance. Netanyahu maintained throughout that Israel’s military autonomy remained fully intact.
On the Hormuz issue, Netanyahu dismissed Iran’s closure threats as blackmail that would fail. He proposed pipeline routes 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 eliminate the Hormuz chokepoint as an Iranian weapon.
Netanyahu concluded with observations about Iran’s visible leadership breakdown. He noted Mojtaba had not appeared publicly and admitted genuine uncertainty about who was governing the country. Netanyahu pointed to the fierce competition among Tehran’s ruling factions and concluded that this instability, combined with military losses, was driving the war toward an end sooner than most expected.