Netanyahu Says Iran’s Nuclear Program Must End – Deal or No Deal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used a weekly cabinet meeting to drive home a point that has been echoing through Jerusalem for months: Iran’s nuclear programme simply cannot be allowed to continue. He told reporters that the Iranian regime “has to come to an end” – with a deal, without a deal, it doesn’t matter. The statement came just as he prepared to hop on a plane for Washington, where he will sit down with President Donald Trump.

Speaking to Fox News, Netanyahu laid out a rather stark scenario. “Either the regime is toppled or it is weakened enough to understand it must abandon its nuclear path,” he said, almost as if he were reading a script. He added that a fundamental political shift in Tehran, or a genuine abandonment of the nuclear track, would be the only way to end what he called a “dangerous conflict.” In his view, that was exactly what Trump was trying to achieve, and Netanyahu pledged his full support.

Before the flight, the Israeli premier reminded his own ministers that Iran would be a headline issue in his talks with the U.S. president. “Tomorrow I will fly to Washington at Mr. Trump’s invitation, then attend the memorial for our friend Senator Lindsey Graham,” he told the cabinet, before noting that “all pending issues, including Iran, will be on the table.” The tone was clear: no sugar‑coating, just a hard‑line stance.

On the American side, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz hinted that Washington was giving diplomacy a breather. “The president is giving talks a little bit of room,” he told Fox, emphasizing that the pause in strikes was meant to let negotiations breathe. In an NBC interview he added that all options remained on the table, while also noting internal divisions within Tehran’s own power structure.

Iran, for its part, responded with a familiar mix of defiance and bravado. An Army spokesperson, Mohammad Akraminia, told ISNA that the Iranian military was “fully prepared for all scenarios” and that U.S. actions in the Strait of Hormuz had failed to achieve their aims. He suggested Washington might be re‑thinking its strategy, but only if Israel gave the green light for any withdrawal.

Adding to the tension, Iranian media reported an oil tanker explosion after the vessel allegedly struck a naval mine in the Strait of Hormuz. According to Tasnim News, the ship had deviated from a route set by Tehran and therefore “bore the consequences.” The incident, while alarming, was juxtaposed with a modest diplomatic breakthrough: Iran and Oman are reportedly discussing the reopening of the Strait and adjacent waterways, a process that will take time but signals a possible easing of commercial pressure.

Across the globe, the Vatican entered the fray. Pope Leo XIV, speaking from Rome, urged all sides to halt hostilities and return to dialogue, warning that continued fighting was crushing civilians’ access to water, electricity and basic safety. “From the depths of my heart, I exhort all parties to suspend attacks and reopen paths of diplomacy,” the pontiff said, echoing calls for peace that have been growing louder over the past weeks.

So the picture remains one of high stakes and high rhetoric. Netanyahu insists on a definitive end to Iran’s nuclear work, the United States pauses bombs to keep the diplomatic door ajar, Tehran flexes its military muscles, and the world watches, hoping that cooler heads will eventually prevail.