'It's his decision': Netanyahu says choice on how to proceed with Iran is Trump's

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted that President Donald Trump is calling the shots in the Iran war and denied that he is trying to persuade Trump to continue attacking Iran amid U.S. negotiations.

Still, he remained skeptical that a diplomatic solution with the regime is possible.

“Well, I don’t know if it’s unlikely, but I’m skeptical about Iran’s modus operandi, I mean, the method of operating. They always lie, they always cheat, and they always play for time. Could that, within sufficient pressure — diplomatic, economic pressure — could that change? Give it a try,” Netanyahu said Wednesday during a sit-down interview on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis.

Watch the interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis starting at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

Netanyahu affirmed that he believes Trump is in charge of the U.S.-Israeli partnership after the two met behind closed doors at the White House this week.

The prime minister’s comments follow heightened tensions between the two leaders as the war enters its sixth month.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with Linsey Davis of ABC News in Washington, July 29, 2026.
ABC News

“The truth is, we’re partners. We’re allies. He’s the senior partner. It’s the United States of America, let’s not forget. And I’m a junior partner. But I’m the prime minister of Israel, and when I have to stand up for the interest of my country and the security of my country, I do so,” Netanyahu said.

“But I always do so with a deep appreciation of the role that the United States under President Trump has played in joining forces with us against our common enemy that wants to destroy us both,” Netanyahu added.

Trump and Netanyahu had been in lockstep since Trump began his second term, but in recent weeks tensions between the two had considerably risen, with Trump calling the Israeli leader “crazy,” and declaring: “Without me, there would be no Israel.”

On Wednesday, Netanyahu attempted to suggest that his frayed relationship with Trump and other members of his Cabinet, as well as with Vice President J.D. Vance, was smoothed over.

Earlier this month, Vance stated on “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast that elements within Netanyahu’s government were “manipulating” U.S. public opinion and running a paid campaign to derail U.S.-Iran peace negotiations. He claimed certain Israeli figures wanted to prolong the conflict indefinitely.

“Well, we’re not actually. I had a very good conversation with the vice president this morning, and I think we straightened that out because we’re not. That’s not our policy,” Netanyahu said Wednesday.

Netanyahu has previously said the U.S.-Israel relationship is a “wall of granite,” but recent polls show that American support for Israel has cracks in it. Netanyahu pointed to the rise of social media and bot farms as a potential culprit.

“I think there’s been a change because of the proliferation of social media, and the fact that sovereign countries have manipulated with bot farms and other things. And we can see a direct relationship between the proliferation of social media and the decline in support for Israel,” he said.

“Does it concern me? Yes, yes, it does. And I want bipartisan support for Israel because I think that’s a fundament of our national security,” he added.

U.S. and Israeli officials confirmed to ABC News that the Israeli premier would present Israeli intelligence to Trump during their private meeting to convince Trump to continue attacking Iran. In a “Fox and Friends” interview Tuesday, Trump asserted that Netanyahu was sharing the information “because he wants me to stay involved.”

Netanyahu denied attempting to persuade Trump to resume attacks on Iran during their Oval Office meeting on Tuesday.

“Actually, not. That’s the caricature, the cartoon picture. That is not true,” Netanyahu said, adding that he and Trump at their Tuesday meeting discussed various options to resolve the Iran conflict, including negotiating a broader deal with Iranian officials, continuing the blockade of the vital Strait of Hormuz waterway, or taking further military action.

“We actually analyzed all three possibilities, and I thought we did it in an open way between friends and allies, and it’s his decision. It’s his decision,” Netanyahu asserted.

Netanyahu rejected the notion that he misled Trump into getting involved in the conflict and that regime change could be easily accomplished during that now-infamous meeting between the leaders in the lead-up to the war.

“No, I didn’t mislead anything… nobody tells President Trump what to do,” Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu assessed that Iran is now weaker than ever before, but he also acknowledged he does not believe the Iranian regime has collapsed after five months of war.

Netanyahu suggested it was not possible to predict how effectively Iran would be able to weaponize the flow of commerce through the Strait of Hormuz.

“I thought they could do it, but I thought they’d also have to consider what would be the consequences if they do it, and nobody could predict that with accuracy,” Netanyahu said. “Everybody in the world today understands what a grave danger Iran poses to the peace of the world.”

Netanyahu predicted that the Strait of Hormuz will not continue to hold leverage over the global oil market after the conflict with Iran has concluded.

“I don’t think the straits are going to be that powerful a leverage because people will move the energy pipelines out of the straits to the Red Sea, from there to Israel in the Mediterranean. We can unblock this chokehold, and we will,” he said.

When asked about the possibility of an Iranian regime change, the prime minister said, “I think Iran is weaker than ever before. I think Israel is stronger than ever before, but I can’t tell you that the regime has already collapsed.”

Netanyahu said if Iran were to target Israel with strikes, it would be a “perilous mistake, and we’ll respond very, very forcefully.”

“My goal is to make sure that Iran, with this regime, doesn’t have nuclear weapons. And that’s something that President Trump and I both agree on, because it would be a different world,” he said.

Netanyahu could not predict a timeline for when the Iranian regime could be brought down but said he thinks “it ultimately will be.”

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