Netanyahu Tells ‘60 Minutes’ that War Could Resume, Enriched Uranium Must Be ‘Taken Out of Iran’
By The Media Line Staff
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an extended interview with 60 Minutes on CBS that Israel and the United States remain determined to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, warning that military action could resume if diplomatic efforts fail and arguing that the conflict has reshaped the balance of power across the Middle East.
“I think it accomplished a great deal, but it’s not over because there’s still nuclear material, enriched uranium that has to be taken out of Iran,” Netanyahu said when asked whether the war with Iran had ended. He said enrichment facilities still had to be dismantled, Iran’s proxy network remained active, and Tehran was still pursuing ballistic missile production. “There are still enrichment sites that have to be dismantled. There are still proxies that Iran supports.”
Netanyahu said President Trump shared his view that Iran could not be allowed to retain a nuclear weapons capability. Recalling meetings with President Trump in both 2016 and again during the 2024 campaign, Netanyahu said the president repeatedly told him, “We cannot let Iran have nuclear weapons.”
The Israeli leader said sanctions and economic pressure had slowed Iran’s nuclear progress during President Trump’s first term but ultimately failed to stop it. “They went back to enrichment. They went back to full, their full efforts on nuclear, to develop a nuclear weapon,” he said. According to Netanyahu, Iran was “very close” to obtaining a bomb before Israeli and American operations targeted its infrastructure.
Asked how enriched uranium could be removed from Iran, Netanyahu declined to discuss military plans in detail but said President Trump believed the material could physically be taken out under an agreement. “If you have an agreement and you go in and you take it out, why not?” he said. He repeatedly refused to discuss contingency plans involving force, saying only that both countries could “reengage them militarily” if necessary.
Netanyahu described Iran as “the weakest it’s been” since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, saying economic damage, internal disagreements, and public unrest had shaken the regime. “There are fissures in the regime,” he said, adding that some officials feared economic collapse and another popular uprising. He argued that joint US-Israeli strikes on petrochemical facilities, steel plants, and missile infrastructure had significantly weakened Tehran.
Still, Netanyahu stopped short of predicting regime change. “Is it possible? Yes. Is it guaranteed? No,” he said. Comparing Iran’s instability to the collapse of the Soviet Union and communist Romania, he said authoritarian systems often appear stable until they suddenly collapse.
The prime minister said Israeli intelligence had deeply penetrated Iran and carried out what he called “surgical attacks” on scientists, commanders, and senior figures. However, he rejected suggestions that Israeli operations alone could trigger a revolution. “One out of 100 Iranians is in the secret police,” he said, describing the regime as dependent on terror and repression.
Netanyahu also disputed The New York Times’s reporting that he privately assured President Trump a joint operation could guarantee regime change. He said both leaders recognized the risks and uncertainty involved. “There was danger in action,” he said, “but there’s greater danger in not taking action.”
Addressing the Strait of Hormuz crisis, Netanyahu praised the United States’ blockade strategy against Iran, calling it “a brilliant move.” He acknowledged that Iran’s attempts to threaten shipping had created global economic disruption but said Tehran underestimated the consequences. “They should have understood that that would eventually cause … a reaction that was very powerful,” he said.
On Lebanon, Netanyahu said Israel had destroyed more than 90% of Hezbollah’s missile and rocket stockpile, which he said once totaled 150,000 projectiles aimed at Israeli cities. “Hezbollah is basically a proxy of Iran,” he said, accusing the group of holding Lebanon hostage. He said Israel had established a security belt in southern Lebanon to prevent another large-scale infiltration similar to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.
Netanyahu rejected the idea that a ceasefire with Iran should automatically apply to Hezbollah. “They want Hezbollah to stay there and continue to torture Lebanon,” he said of Tehran’s position. Asked whether he would accept such a condition even under pressure from President Trump, Netanyahu replied: “No.”
The Israeli leader argued that weakening Iran would also weaken Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis. “The whole scaffolding of the terrorist proxy network that Iran built collapses if the regime in Iran collapses,” he said, while acknowledging the process would be lengthy.
Discussing Gaza, Netanyahu acknowledged that Hamas had not fulfilled commitments to disarm and demilitarize under previous understandings. “Hamas promised to do it, and they violated the deal,” he said. While weapons production and smuggling routes had been significantly reduced, Netanyahu said, “The disarmament and the demilitarization of Hamas has not been done.”
He said Israel would ultimately ensure Hamas could no longer threaten Israeli civilians. “We are not going to let Hamas ever threaten Israel again,” he said, adding that Israel preferred achieving that goal “the easy way” if possible.
Netanyahu strongly rejected accusations that Israel was conducting indiscriminate attacks in Gaza and Lebanon. “We’re as discriminating and surgical as any army has ever been in history,” he said, arguing Israel had taken extraordinary measures to warn civilians through phone calls, leaflets, and text messages. He accused Hamas and Hezbollah of deliberately embedding themselves among civilian populations.
The prime minister also argued that Israel was losing ground in the “social media war,” particularly among younger Americans. He claimed foreign governments and coordinated “bot farms” were manipulating online discourse to weaken support for Israel and damage US-Israel ties. “While we were fighting the physical military battle on seven battlefields … we were completely exposed on the eighth front, the media war,” he said.
Netanyahu said he eventually wants Israel to phase out American military aid entirely and replace it with joint defense and technology partnerships. “I want to draw down the American support for Israel to zero,” he said, proposing shared projects involving missile defense, intelligence, and advanced technologies. “We’ve come of age,” he added, pointing to Israel’s high-tech economy and expanding regional ties.
The prime minister also suggested that several Arab states were seeking closer strategic cooperation with Israel after the conflict with Iran. “Let’s strengthen our alliance with Israel,” he said some regional leaders were telling him privately. Netanyahu linked those developments to the Abraham Accords and said he believed new alliances involving energy, artificial intelligence, and defense cooperation were possible.
Asked about Chinese and Russian support for Iran, Netanyahu said China had supplied “a certain amount of support on particular components of missile manufacturing,” while describing Russian backing during the conflict as limited and inconsistent.
Toward the end of the interview, Netanyahu rejected accusations that he sought war for political purposes. Before Oct. 7, he said, he had often been criticized as overly restrained militarily. But after Hamas’ attack, he concluded Israel faced a coordinated attempt by Iran and its proxies to destroy the Jewish state. “It’s not going to happen. Not on my watch,” he said.
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