The War with Iran is Not Over: Netanyahu on Tehran’s Nuclear Threat in ’60 Minutes’ Interview
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a statement regarding the status of the ongoing conflict in an interview for the American CBS program “60 Minutes”. Despite discussions of a fragile ceasefire, he emphasized that the confrontation between the United States, Israel, and Iran is far from over. According to him, the allies have managed to achieve significant success in weakening Tehran’s military potential; however, the main threat still remains on the ground and requires seeing the initiated work through to the end.
The Israeli leader cited the complete elimination of the nuclear danger as a key condition for the final cessation of the military campaign. Netanyahu highlighted that Iran still holds stockpiles of highly enriched uranium, the volume of which, according to international observers, is approaching a thousand pounds. Responding to a question about exactly how these near-weapons-grade materials could be eliminated, the Prime Minister stated outright the necessity of physical extraction, noting that one simply needs to “go in and take it.” He characterized this task as an extremely important mission for global security.
In addition to the extraction of nuclear materials, the head of the Israeli government outlined other unresolved issues that prevent declaring the end of the war. He pointed to the need for the complete dismantling of the remaining Iranian enrichment facilities, as well as the importance of halting the production of ballistic missiles. The topic of regional proxy forces sponsored by Tehran was addressed separately. Netanyahu expressed confidence that the critical weakening or fall of the current Iranian regime would lead to a domino effect and the inevitable collapse of the entire terrorist network, including groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Yemeni Houthis.
Regarding the methods for achieving these large-scale goals, Netanyahu emphasized that the most preferable and safest option remains reaching a diplomatic agreement under which the uranium would be legally transported out of the country. He referenced the firm position of US President Donald Trump, who fully shares the view that Iran must not be allowed to possess nuclear capabilities. Nevertheless, the Israeli Prime Minister flatly refused to discuss any specific timelines or disclose details of potential special operations in the event that negotiations fail, making it clear that a military scenario remains an absolutely realistic course of action.
