Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a press conference in Jerusalem on Monday, June 15 during which he repeatedly referenced the role of U.S. President Donald Trump and the U.S. military in operations against Iran.
Netanyahu said that without the historic cooperation between President Trump and the U.S. military, Iran would already possess nuclear weapons today. He stated that Iran had been accelerating its nuclear program and attempting to move more of its missile industry and nuclear weapons infrastructure into underground facilities. Had action not been taken at the time, he said, Iran would now have nuclear bombs.
According to Netanyahu, the United States and Israel carried out the largest airstrike campaign in Israel’s history. Nuclear scientists were eliminated, nuclear facilities were struck, the vast majority of missile-production factories were destroyed, and significant military infrastructure was damaged. Iran’s navy and air force also suffered heavy losses. He said the operation inflicted tremendous damage on Iran.
Netanyahu argued that the most important achievement was the elimination of the threat of nuclear annihilation. He also reviewed Israel’s recent operations against Iran-backed militant groups in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, saying that thousands of terrorists and extensive terrorist infrastructure had been targeted and destroyed.
Responding to critics who questioned the effectiveness of the operation, Netanyahu rejected those claims. He said that compared with the situation following Oct. 7, 2023, Iran’s nuclear program and missile capabilities have now been severely degraded.
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President Trump recently announced that the United States and Iran have reached an agreement, and that the text of the agreement will be made public soon. U.S. Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to travel to Geneva, Switzerland, on June 19 (Friday) to attend the formal signing ceremony of the U.S.-Iran agreement.
