Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defined the US-Israel relationship with unusual precision on Friday, declaring that Trump is the leader and he is the ally — and that together, they were defeating Iran. He combined this statement with a military announcement declaring that Iran had lost all uranium enrichment and ballistic missile capabilities after twenty days of conflict. Netanyahu rejected claims about Israeli manipulation of US foreign policy. He expressed confidence the war would end sooner than most anticipated.
The prime minister elaborated on his relationship with Trump at length, calling it the most closely coordinated partnership between two world leaders he had witnessed. He emphasized Trump’s independence and analytical depth, noting that Trump had brought his own fully formed understanding of Iran’s nuclear threat to their discussions. Netanyahu said this reflected a partnership of genuine equals in terms of strategic conviction, even if Trump held the leadership role.
Netanyahu confirmed Israel acted alone in striking the South Pars gas compound and acknowledged Trump’s personal request to pause further attacks on Iranian gas infrastructure. He treated both the military action and the diplomatic communication transparently, framing them as natural elements of a close and functioning alliance. Netanyahu was firm that Israel’s operational independence remained non-negotiable.
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 structural alternative. Netanyahu argued this infrastructure would permanently eliminate the Hormuz chokepoint as a tool of Iranian geopolitical pressure.
Netanyahu ended with an analysis of Iran’s internal chaos. He noted Mojtaba had not appeared publicly during the conflict and admitted he was unsure 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 an end sooner than most expected.