Iran war – Benjamin Netanyahu tells 60 Minutes the Iran conflict isn’t finished, citing remaining enriched uranium, missile work, and proxy activity amid a fragile ceasefire.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s message to Americans is blunt: even after major strikes and a fragile ceasefire. the Iran war “isn’t over.” In an interview with 60 Minutes that will air on CBS Sunday night. the Israeli prime minister said the United States and Israel have accomplished a “great deal. ” but that key pieces of Iran’s program still need to be addressed—starting with highly enriched uranium.
Netanyahu. speaking to correspondent Major Garrett. pointed to what he described as remaining nuclear material that must be removed from Iran.. He said the country must still be able to move from degradation of Iran’s capabilities to dismantling the infrastructure he believes remains. including enrichment sites.. He also said Iran’s network of regional proxies—another element he argues has not been fully neutralized—still factors into why the conflict cannot be declared finished.
He further warned that ballistic missiles, which he said Iran still wants to produce, are part of the unfinished work.. While he credited the campaign with degrading Iran’s capabilities, Netanyahu argued that the remaining tasks are not theoretical.. “All that is still there. and there’s work to be done. ” he said. framing the next phase as both a technical and operational challenge rather than a political end point.
When Garrett pressed on how Netanyahu imagines physically removing highly enriched uranium. Netanyahu leaned forward and said. “You go in and you take it out.” The exchange underscored the sensitivity of military planning: Garrett asked whether special forces from Israel would be involved. or whether U.S.. special forces would also play a role.. Netanyahu said he did not want to discuss military plans. but he suggested it would be “not a problem” if a deal can be reached with Iran.
On the possibility of using force if no deal is made, Netanyahu declined to provide a direct answer, saying he would have to “dodge” the question. He also said he did not have a timeframe for finishing the war, leaving open how long any next steps—whether diplomacy, operations, or both—might take.
Netanyahu’s comments come after joint U.S.. and Israeli strikes began the war on February 28, the same day Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed.. The sequence has been presented by supporters of the campaign as a turning point. but Netanyahu’s remarks to 60 Minutes suggest he sees the recent fighting as only part of a broader effort to reduce nuclear. missile. and proxy threats.
The timing also places his interview against U.S.. political and diplomatic messaging.. Earlier this month. President Donald Trump told Congress the war had been “terminated. ” a statement made while the United States navigates the current ceasefire arrangement.. That ceasefire is described as fragile, with both sides trading fire.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed the continued exchanges when asked by a reporter on Friday about why the fighting has not fully stopped.. Rubio said the response from the United States is tied to whether Iran is honoring the ceasefire. arguing that if Iran fires a drone or missile at a U.S.. destroyer. the United States cannot allow it to hit and must respond by knocking down the incoming threat and targeting what launched it.
Meanwhile. Rubio framed the alternative as unacceptable—saying it would be “crazy” to do nothing and allow a ship to be sunk.. His remarks reflect the central policy tension around ceasefires in active conflict: even when a diplomatic pause exists. military responses continue as long as attacks occur or are perceived to be coming.
Netanyahu’s insistence that the war is not over puts nuclear removal at the center of the political debate now forming around next steps.. By stressing the need to take out highly enriched uranium and dismantle enrichment sites. he is effectively linking battlefield progress to technical verification and enforcement—an approach that raises questions about how such goals could be pursued without widening the conflict.
His comments also highlight a core challenge for U.S.-Israeli coordination: aligning public statements about ending the war with operational objectives that remain active.. Trump’s statement to Congress that the conflict had been “terminated” clashes with Netanyahu’s description of unfinished work.. That discrepancy could affect how Washington and Jerusalem communicate to each other domestically while negotiating the terms of any durable settlement.
Rubio’s explanation for continued U.S.. military responses, meanwhile, shows how ceasefire compliance becomes an evolving standard rather than a fixed moment in time.. If one side fires. the other argues it must react; if the other side claims it was responding. the cycle can become self-sustaining.. Netanyahu’s argument that proxies and missile development remain suggests that the ceasefire’s durability may depend not only on immediate restraint. but also on what Iran does next.
Looking ahead. the interview suggests that negotiations—if they are to occur—will likely revolve around the most sensitive components Netanyahu identified: enriched uranium. enrichment capacity. and measures aimed at missiles and proxy networks.. Even as Netanyahu said he would not talk about military plans and hinted that force would be avoided with a deal. his refusal to set a timetable and his decision to “dodge” key questions indicate uncertainty about how quickly—or through what means—the conflict could truly end.
For U.S.. politics. the stakes are immediate because public messaging from the White House and the State Department is tied to ceasefire policy. regional deterrence. and election-year scrutiny of foreign policy risk.. For Israel and Iran. Netanyahu’s line about remaining material and capabilities implies that any shift from active combat to a lasting resolution will require more than a pause in firing—particularly if the goal is to reduce the nuclear and missile threats he says are still present.
Benjamin Netanyahu 60 Minutes Iran war highly enriched uranium Marco Rubio fragile ceasefire Trump