Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Iran conflict isn’t over until Iran removes highly enriched uranium and dismantles enrichment facilities.
A fragile U.S. ceasefire with Iran may be holding, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the larger confrontation is far from finished.
In an interview airing Sunday on 60 Minutes. Netanyahu told CBS News chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett that Israel views the war as “not over” until Iran removes highly enriched uranium from its program and dismantles its enrichment facilities.. He argued that while Iran has been weakened, key capabilities remain.
Netanyahu said that Israel has already “degraded a lot” of Iran’s nuclear capability. along with the country’s proxy forces in other countries and its missile-making capacity.. But he emphasized that the underlying elements of the threat are still in place and that “there’s work to be done. ” framing uranium removal as a core part of that remaining task.
International monitoring estimates that Iran still holds about 970 pounds of nearly bomb-grade uranium. Netanyahu referenced those realities when describing what he believes would have to happen to reduce the risk created by Iran’s nuclear material.
He said that any plan to address the uranium would require physically removing it from Iran and suggested that such action could be carried out under an agreement. In that scenario, he characterized a negotiated path as “the best way” to take highly enriched uranium out of Iran.
Asked what would happen if Iran did not reach an agreement on the nuclear material, Netanyahu declined to provide specifics. Instead, he focused on the mission’s importance, saying he would not set a timetable but describing it as “terrifically important.”
The remarks come as Washington attempts to keep a ceasefire with Iran in place. underscoring how differently Israeli and U.S.. officials may define what “success” should look like in the short term.. For Israel. Netanyahu’s comments suggest that stopping the immediate fighting is only the first step. while the long-term goal is tied to dismantling the infrastructure and removing the most sensitive nuclear materials.
Netanyahu’s framing also highlights the challenge in aligning diplomacy with security demands: even with portions of Iran’s capabilities reportedly reduced. the presence of near-bomb-grade uranium—according to international monitors—keeps the nuclear issue at the center of Israel’s threat assessment.. His refusal to name consequences in the absence of an agreement leaves open the possibility that Israel would view coercive options as still on the table. even if it avoids specifying them publicly.
For U.S.. policy, the comments may complicate already delicate efforts to keep channels open with Iran.. If Israel pushes for a uranium-centered resolution as a condition for moving beyond the conflict. it could raise pressure for any ceasefire framework to incorporate clearer pathways for verifying. transporting. and ultimately removing sensitive nuclear material.
Netanyahu Iran ceasefire highly enriched uranium nuclear facilities 60 Minutes interview Major Garrett
Sure, because “not over” until the uranium is gone totally sounds like a timeline with an off switch. I get Israel’s concerns, but this feels like they’re keeping the pressure on no matter what the ceasefire does.
Michael Brown, I think you’re reading it as pure delay, but Netanyahu’s logic is basically: ceasefire reduces immediate violence, but the threat stack stays if enrichment facilities and near-bomb-grade material remain. If monitoring says Iran still has around 970 pounds, then from their perspective the risk doesn’t magically disappear.
I’m not convinced the “physically remove the uranium” part is as straightforward as it’s being sold. Sarah Johnson is right about the threat logic, but Michael Brown is right to worry about end goals that are so hard to meet that negotiations never really close the book.
David Wilson, that’s my worry too: ceasefire is one thing, and verification + actual removal is a whole other mountain to climb. I’m just hoping both sides can move without turning it into “forever talks.”