The conflict between Israel, the United States, and Iran is entering a tense and uncertain new phase. While diplomatic back-and-forth continues through back channels, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is sending a clear signal: this isn't over, and the endgame he has in mind is the physical removal of Iran's enriched uranium.
In preview clips from a CBS 60 Minutes interview set to air in full on Sunday night, Netanyahu laid out his position without much ambiguity. Iran still has enriched uranium some of it believed to be near-weapons-grade and buried deep underground near Isfahan and in his view, that material cannot simply be negotiated away on paper. It has to physically leave the country.
"I Wanna Go In There" Trump's Words, According to Netanyahu
Perhaps the most attention-grabbing moment in the preview was Netanyahu's account of a private conversation with Donald Trump. According to the Israeli PM, Trump told him directly: "I wanna go in there."
Netanyahu said he believes such a mission is physically achievable. "If you have an agreement and you go in and you take it out, why not? That's the best way," he said, while leaving the door open to a more forceful approach if negotiations fall apart.
He was careful not to lay out a specific military plan or timeline, saying he would "dodge" those questions deliberately. But he was equally clear that removing Iran's nuclear material however it happens is what he called "a terrifically important mission."
Any physical seizure of Iran's uranium stockpile, it's worth noting, would almost certainly require boots on the ground a significant escalation that carries enormous geopolitical risk.
The War Isn't Over, Netanyahu Insists
While some in Washington have been projecting confidence that Iran has been militarily beaten down, Netanyahu painted a more complicated picture. Yes, Iran's military capabilities have been degraded but the job isn't done.
"There are still enrichment sites that have to be dismantled. There are still proxies that Iran supports. There are ballistic missiles that they still want to produce," he said. "We've degraded a lot of it, but all that is still there, and there's work to be done."
This puts Netanyahu somewhat at odds with Trump's public tone. The U.S. president said in a separate interview that Iran was "militarily defeated" and suggested the uranium could be removed "whenever we want" a more relaxed framing compared to Netanyahu's more urgent stance.
What's Happening With Iran's New Supreme Leader?
Netanyahu also weighed in on the mysterious silence surrounding Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen or heard from publicly since taking over from his father Ali Khamenei in early March.
"I think he is alive," Netanyahu said, though he acknowledged uncertainty about his condition. "He's holed up in some bunker or in some secret place." The Israeli PM also suggested that Mojtaba lacks the same grip on power that his father had built over decades, which could be a factor in how Iran navigates the current crisis.
Iran Rejects U.S. Peace Proposal Trump Fires Back
Netanyahu's interview aired on the same day that Iran delivered its response to the latest American peace proposal and it was a firm rejection. Iranian state television reported that Tehran dismissed the U.S. offer as a capitulation demand, instead putting forward its own list of conditions: war reparations from the United States, full Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, an end to all sanctions, and the release of frozen Iranian assets.
Washington's proposal had sought to end the ongoing conflict, reopen the strategically vital strait to international shipping, and roll back Iran's nuclear program.
Trump wasted no time responding. In a post on social media, he declared Iran's counteroffer "TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!" adding that Tehran had been "playing games" with the U.S. for nearly five decades. "They will be laughing no longer!" he wrote.
The back-and-forth is being mediated through Pakistan, but the gap between both sides remains wide. The standoff has already disrupted global shipping lanes and pushed energy prices higher a sign of just how much the situation in the Persian Gulf is rippling outward.
Strait of Hormuz A Miscalculation?
In another candid moment, Netanyahu acknowledged that neither Israel nor the United States fully anticipated how effectively Iran could leverage its control of the Strait of Hormuz once the conflict escalated. This came in response to a New York Times report suggesting Netanyahu had predicted Iran would be too weakened by airstrikes to block the waterway.
"I don't claim perfect foresight, and nobody had perfect foresight. Neither did the Iranians," he said a rare admission from a leader who has long projected confidence about Israeli military strategy.
The Big Picture
What Netanyahu's interview reveals, above all, is that despite significant military setbacks for Iran, the situation is far from resolved. The uranium question remains the central issue and with diplomacy stalling and Trump publicly rejecting Iran's latest terms, the path forward looks increasingly murky.
Whether the enriched uranium ends up removed through a negotiated deal or something more forceful remains to be seen. But Netanyahu has made his position crystal clear: leaving it in place is not an option he's willing to accept.
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