Netanyahu says Iran war 'not over' until enriched uranium is removed

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran is not over, because Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium must be removed and its enrichment sites dismantled. He made the remarks in an excerpt from an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes, due to air at 7:00 pm (2300 GMT).

Why does Netanyahu say the Iran war is not over?

Netanyahu says the war is not over because Iran still holds enriched uranium that must be physically removed, and enrichment sites that must be dismantled. He also cited Iran's ballistic missile program and its regional proxies as unfinished war aims. "There's work to be done," he said.

How does Netanyahu say Iran's uranium should be removed?

Netanyahu said he would prefer a negotiated agreement as the basis for removing Iran's uranium stockpile. "If you have an agreement and you go in and you take it out, why not? That's the best way," he told CBS. When pressed on military options, he declined to discuss specific plans or give a timetable, calling the mission "terrifically important."

Netanyahu also said Trump held a similar view, citing a private conversation in which the U.S. president said "I want to go in there." Trump's public statements, however, present a different picture.

Where do Netanyahu and Trump differ on Iran's nuclear program?

Trump said publicly on Sunday that Iran was "militarily defeated" and that its uranium stockpile could be retrieved "whenever we want." He described the situation as well-monitored, saying the U.S. would act if anyone approached the site. Netanyahu's framing was notably more urgent, treating the uranium as an active and unresolved threat rather than a contained one.

Trump is also facing growing domestic pressure to bring the Iran war to a close, and has insisted Tehran's nuclear program has been contained. Netanyahu, by contrast, described several remaining war aims, including Iran's ballistic missiles and the proxy networks it continues to support.