Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said there is no split between himself and U.S. President Donald Trump as he said that both countries share the game goal in ending Iran’s capacity to obtain nuclear weapons.
“I don’t think there’s a rift,” Netanyahu said in an interview with Fox News on Sunday when asked about it. “I think America has no greater ally than Israel, and Israel has no greater ally than the United States.”
The Israeli leader added that Trump is acting in the interests of the United States and that he is doing the same for Israel.
“President Trump is the leader of the United states—he does what’s good for America. I am the leader of Israel, the one and only Jewish state—I do what’s good for Israel. Ninety-nine percent of the time, we see eye to eye,” Netanyahu said. “But as in any family, any close friendship, there are sometimes differences of opinion, and we discuss them openly, I can tell you in a free spirit, and usually we resolve them, too.”
His comments come as Israeli military forces have not yet left southern Lebanon, something Iran has demanded as a condition to end its conflict with the United States. Israel has also carried out strikes in Lebanon against terrorist group Hezbollah, which is widely considered a proxy of the Iranian regime.
After a memorandum of understanding was signed by the United States and Iran last month to end hostilities, some Israeli officials criticized the deal. That drew a response at the time from U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who said that if he were in their shoes, “I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world.”
During the interview, Netanyahu was asked about Vance’s remarks.
“We have some other friends, like a small country called India—you know, it has 1.4 billion people—and, boy, do we have tremendous support there,” he said.
Regardless, the Israeli leader said his government and the Trump administration both have a shared goal to end Iran’s nuclear program. For years, U.S., European, and Israeli officials have said that Tehran is aiming to produce a nuclear weapon with the program, while United Nations inspectors have said they have been denied access to the country’s nuclear facilities.
“I would say it’s not over. I would judge it when it’s over,” Netanyahu said. “But as I said, I think the most important thing is that we have a common goal. And that means Iran cannot have nuclear weapons or the capacity to make nuclear weapons.”
His comments come as top Iranian officials and brothers of the country’s new leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, came into public view Sunday to attend funeral prayers for the former top leader, Ali Khamenei, who died in February airstrikes launched by the United States.
Iran’s new leader has yet to make an appearance in the funeral ceremonies, which are unfolding over several days. Trump has previously said that he may have been wounded in the airstrikes.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration is pressing ahead with negotiations with the Islamic regime aimed at rolling back its disputed nuclear program, ensuring the Strait of Hormuz remains fully open to international shipping, and putting a permanent end to the war. Talks appear to be on hold until after the burial.
