With Iran ceasefire in doubt, Netanyahu says war against Iranian threat ‘never ends’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that the war against the Iranian threat will never end while highlighting what he described as Israel's achievements over the last three years.

At the same time, reports suggest that the United States has been seriously considering a return to fighting against the Iranian regime, after a scheduled meeting with an Iranian delegation was canceled, throwing the future of the U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) into question.

According to The Wall Street Journal, U.S. President Trump prefers to focus efforts on diplomatic talks while launching limited strikes, rather than destroy any chance for a diplomatic agreement with a full-scale return to war.

In an interview with Israel's Channel 14 network, considered by many in Israel to be generally pro-Netanyahu government, the prime minister spoke about Israel's achievements in both the Gaza war and the Iran conflict, promising that Iran would “never have nuclear weapons.” 

“We have tremendous achievements. Tremendous,” Netanyahu said in the rare interview that appeared to kick off his re-election campaign.

“If I told you on October 7th that we would be in a position where we had eliminated Deif, Sinwar, Haniyeh, Nasrallah, the entire senior leadership of Hezbollah, their entire missile array, that we control almost 70% of the territory of Gaza, that we have security zones inside Lebanon, security zones inside Syria, of course a security zone inside Gaza. That we broke through the barrier of fear. For 47 years, no one dared to attack Iran militarily, and not only did we do that – we beat them twice; we removed a direct existential threat. Do you want more?” he asked. 

The Channel 14 interviewer asked Netanyahu to confirm whether the war was over: “I want to know if it’s over, if it’s behind us, and if the goal of ‘Total Victory’ is still in effect?”

“Let me tell you something, it never ends,” Netanyahu responded. “Do you want to live? In the Middle East and in the world, you must be very strong. We are very strong. Israel is stronger than ever, and we have put off these threats; we have weakened them greatly.” 

“We have more work to do. To take care of what is left of the Iranian axis, to take advantage of opportunities for peace agreements,” Netanyahu added. 

The prime minister also stressed that if necessary, Israel would launch military operations against Iran for a third time, vowing, “As long as I am prime minister, Iran will not have nuclear weapons.” 

Netanyahu has previously stated that Israel would face continual conflicts. In 2015, Netanyahu stated that Israel would always have to live by the sword. 

During discussions in a Knesset Defense Committee meeting, Netanyahu addressed opposition lawmakers, saying, "You think there is a magic wand here, but I disagree. I'm asked if we will forever live by the sword – yes.” 

That attitude has caused friction between Netanyahu and various Western leaders, most recently the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, who accused Israel of bringing down an apartment building just to kill one terrorist. 

"Too many people have been killed. You don't have to knock down an apartment house every time you're looking for somebody, because there are a lot of people in those apartment houses, and they're not all Hezbollah," President Trump said, speaking to reporters at the G7 Summit in France earlier this month. 

However, Netanyahu argues that this position of strength will lead to peace agreements for Israel. 

“When you’re strong, people form alliances with you, and they make peace with you as well,” he said during the televised interview.

He said the recent agreement with Lebanon is evidence of this, adding that other countries are in contact with Israel over similar agreements, but declined to name them due to the sensitivity of the talks.

“I’m not naming names because I want to deliver results. But everyone will see them,” he stated. 

Meanwhile, with the negotiations between Iran and the U.S. stalled, President Trump has been reportedly considering a resumption of military operations. 

According to The Wall Street Journal, Trump recently held meetings with U.S. War Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine regarding a possible resumption of military operations against the Islamic Republic. 

However, the report claims that Trump currently prefers pursuing the diplomatic path, telling White House aides he is willing to let negotiations continue beyond the Aug. 18 deadline set in the MOU. 

On Tuesday, a U.S. delegation, consisting of Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, arrived in Doha for talks with Qatari mediators. 

President Trump had claimed that Iran requested another round of talks, which he said would take place on Tuesday in Qatar. Iranian media quickly shared reports from Islamic Republic officials denying any meetings with U.S. officials in the near future. 

“No meeting at any level with the American side has been scheduled for the coming days,” Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said. 

🚨🇶🇦 Qatar: Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari says U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are in Doha, but no meetings with Iranian officials are currently scheduled. pic.twitter.com/J8EYjPQ77L

— NATO NEWS (@NATO307287741) June 30, 2026

Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman, Majed al-Ansari, confirmed that negotiations were taking place in Doha.

“Mr. Steve Witkoff and Mr. Jared Kushner are here in Doha to meet with mediators, with Qatari officials, and the talks will be around all regional issues,” al-Ansari said. “They are not here for their negotiations with the Iranians.”

Iran accuses the U.S. of failing to honor the terms of the MOU, which called for sanctions relief and the unfreezing of Iranian assets during the 60-day negotiation period. The regime says those assets have not been released. 

The Islamic Republic also claims that the recent Israel-Lebanon agreement violates the terms of the MOU by not demanding an immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon.