Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu isn’t convinced Iran has changed. In fact, he says trusting Tehran would be a mistake.
Speaking in remarks reported by the New York Post, Netanyahu warned that Iran “definitely” possesses chemical weapons and argued the regime would have “no compunction” about using weapons of mass destruction if it had the opportunity.
“They would not care a whit about murdering hundreds of thousands of Americans if they could,” Netanyahu said.
He based that assessment on what he described as the Iranian government’s willingness to inflict harm on its own people, arguing the regime would show the same disregard toward its enemies.
The United States Department of State has previously said Iran is not in compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention, citing alleged development of pharmaceutical-based agents for offensive purposes and failures to fully disclose past chemical weapons-related activities.
Netanyahu also defended the joint U.S.-Israeli military campaign known as Operation Roaring Lion/Epic Fury, saying its mission was to degrade Iran’s nuclear program and reduce its ability to produce ballistic missiles.
“If you give that regime the ability to have ballistic missiles that could reach ultimately the United States and they could arm it with nuclear weapons, then every single American would be in danger,” he said.
Netanyahu argued that was why President Trump chose to authorize the operation.
“That’s why President Trump decided to do this,” he said. “He does what he thinks is good for the United States, and in this case, I would say it was essential for the security of the United States.”
The Israeli leader said the operation pushed back what he described as an immediate nuclear threat but cautioned that the danger has not disappeared.
“Iran was on the verge of making nuclear weapons. We pushed that immediate threat away,” Netanyahu said before adding, “We pushed it back, but it’s not over. The jury’s still out. I’m the first to say that.”
Netanyahu was equally skeptical when asked about the June 17 memorandum of understanding between Washington and Iran.
“You can’t trust them,” he said.
Asked whether the agreement would ultimately hold, Netanyahu said he wasn’t prepared to predict its outcome but insisted his position has not changed.
“I don’t know if there will be a deal,” he said. “Deal or no deal, I’ve pledged, as President Trump has pledged, that Iran, under no circumstances, would have nuclear weapons.”
He ended with an unmistakable assessment of Tehran’s credibility.
“I think it’s too early to say, but I personally would not trust Iran the length of this room, which is about three meters [10 feet] long. So, no, they’re totally untrustworthy.”
More over at The New York Post:
Iran 'definitely' possesses chemical weapons, would not hesitate to kill Americans: Netanyahu https://t.co/uqZyeSQXlr pic.twitter.com/HKDYuSmMDN
— New York Post (@nypost) July 8, 2026
