Netanyahu: Decision to Resume Military Strikes Rests with Trump

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated in an interview with CNBC on Wednesday, June 3, that Tehran must take the warnings of US President Donald Trump seriously.

In the interview, Netanyahu said: "Iran knows full well that Trump has stated full-scale military operations will be resumed if necessary. This is a decision that the US President will make. Israel is ready, and American forces are ready as well."

The Israeli Prime Minister also noted that he believes the Islamic Republic regime has been severely weakened and that internal rifts within Iran are expanding, a trajectory that, according to him, could ultimately lead to regime change.

Referencing the historical collapse of communist regimes in Eastern Europe, Netanyahu remarked, "One cannot accurately predict exactly when such a regime will fall. No one predicted the fall of the Berlin Wall or the Romanian regime, yet it happened because cracks were expanding beneath the surface."

He added that "massive rifts" currently exist in Iran, expressing his belief that this process will ultimately culminate in the collapse of the regime. The Israeli Prime Minister further emphasized that the Iranian people must be assisted in achieving this goal.

In another segment of the interview, Netanyahu addressed the status of the Strait of Hormuz, noting that countries dependent on oil shipments through this route are already developing alternative pathways to offset potential shortages caused by transit restrictions in the waterway.

He also praised the US government's initiative to enforce a blockade against Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz, describing it as a "very effective" and "smart" measure. Netanyahu added that despite occasional, periodic differences of opinion with Trump, both sides maintain alignment on core issues.

"Sometimes, just like in the best of families, we have tactical disagreements, but we always find a way to resolve them," he said. "We might disagree in the morning and reach common ground by the afternoon." According to the Israeli Prime Minister, he and Trump share an identical objective: preventing the Islamic Republic from acquiring nuclear weapons and stopping it from threatening Israel with such weaponry.

Netanyahu went on to characterize the Islamic Republic as a threat to Israel, the United States, and Western nations, stating: "We are facing an enemy that wants to destroy our country, your country, and free democracies across the globe, while expanding its terrorist networks."

He added: "When we fight Iran and its proxies, we are not just fighting our own war; we are fighting America's war and, in fact, Europe's war too." Concluding the interview, the Israeli Prime Minister emphasized that Israel and the United States will continue their close cooperation in confronting the threat posed by the Islamic Republic.