Netanyahu says Trump is ready to act against Iran 'only with me' in final Channel 14 interview before Israel's election
Speaking on Channel 14's 'The Patriots' on Sunday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said US President Donald Trump would be willing to act to remove the Iranian threat only with him, and said Iran was trying to rebuild its nuclear programme.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview with Channel 14’s “The Patriots” on Sunday 25 October that US President Donald Trump would be prepared to act against Iran only with him, Channel 14 reported. The interview aired from about 7pm GMT, two days before Israel’s general election on 27 October.
“He says that only with me will he be ready to go into action that will finally remove the Iranian threat,” Netanyahu said, according to the broadcaster. He said Israel had done “90 per cent of the work” against Iran’s nuclear programme, that Iran would try to rebuild it, and that he had instructed the Mossad and the military to work towards toppling the government in Tehran. He urged viewers to vote for Likud.
The account of Trump’s position is Netanyahu’s. Trump publicly endorsed Netanyahu’s re-election on 18 October and, in a social media post on Sunday, urged Israelis to vote for him, saying “we have to finish the job that we started”, Reuters reported. Asked about Netanyahu’s remarks, White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said “the blockade will remain in full force and effect” and that “the United States will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the midterm elections” on 3 November, according to Reuters. No Iranian response to the interview had been reported as of 7:25pm GMT on 26 October.
Background: Israel and Iran fought a 12-day war in June 2025, during which the United States struck Iranian nuclear sites. US and Israeli strikes on Iran resumed on 28 February 2026. See also: CNN reports Netanyahu sought a joint strike on Iran before Israel’s election.
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