Netanyahu Floats Solo Iran Strike as Trump Seeks Exit
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- Benjamin Netanyahu hinted at unilateral action against Iran even as the US and Iran approach an interim deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with an Israeli election looming later this year.
- Netanyahu claimed Iran's IRGC commander Ahmad Vahidi declared Iran intends to continue developing a nuclear weapon — a claim for which no official Iranian statement or media coverage was released.
- Donald Trump publicly accused Netanyahu of publicizing intelligence about Iran's Pickaxe Mountain uranium stockpile to keep the US engaged, saying: "Bibi is telling me that because he wants me to stay involved."
- Israel has officially struck Iran only once since the April ceasefire took effect, even after the US-Israel war on Iran later resumed after the deal broke down.
- Ahron Bregman, a King's College London security analyst, called the war a "strategic catastrophe" with none of its original aims achieved and Trump "desperate for an exit" to reopen the strait.
- Kobi Michael of Israel's Misgav Institute said Israel is prepared to fight Iran alone and characterized the current US-Iran negotiations as "useless."
- Former US diplomat Aaron David Miller called unilateral Israeli action "inconceivable" while US-Iran negotiations are near conclusion, but added that Netanyahu "had a hell of a role in how this war started."
Why it matters: Netanyahu's hints at unilateral Iran strikes come as Trump seeks to exit a war that has paralyzed the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting global oil, gas, fertilizer, and petrochemical supplies. With Netanyahu facing both an election and a corruption trial, analysts warn of unprecedented diplomatic strain even as US-Israeli military cooperation remains unusually close.
