Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied a rift with President Donald Trump while drawing a hard line on Iran as Washington pursues a broader nuclear agreement with Tehran.
Netanyahu said Israel and the U.S. shared the same goal on Iran, even as Trump pressed ahead with talks that have drawn criticism from some Israeli officials.
“But I can tell you this, deal or no deal, as long as I’m prime minister, Iran will not have a nuclear weapon,” Netanyahu told host Jacqui Heinrich on “The Sunday Briefing.”
TRUMP’S MASSIVE GOP FAITH BLOC RAISES RED FLAG ON IRAN DEAL: TRUST HIM, NOT HIS TEAM
Asked whether his relationship with Trump had frayed over Iran, Netanyahu said any disagreements between the allies were being handled directly.
“I don’t think there’s a rift,” Netanyahu said. “I think America has no greater ally than Israel, and Israel has no greater ally than the United States.”
Netanyahu said Trump acts in U.S. interests while he acts in Israel’s interests, but argued the two leaders usually align.
AMERICA AND ISRAEL: A COVENANT, NOT A CONTRACT
“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,” Netanyahu said. “Ninety-nine percent of the time we see eye-to-eye.”
Heinrich pressed Netanyahu on Trump’s comments to Axios that the Israeli leader “knows who the boss is” and previous comments to the Financial Times saying Netanyahu would have “no choice” but to accept a U.S.-Iran deal.
EXPERTS ‘DEEPLY’ CONCERNED OVER IRAN’S WORK AT UNDERGROUND NUCLEAR SITE
Netanyahu said Washington and Jerusalem still had the same strategic objective.
“We want to see Iran give up its nuclear weapons program,” Netanyahu said. “We want to see the nuclear-enriched material removed. We want to see the enrichment sites for nuclear materials dismantled.”
When asked whether he was comfortable with talks extending past an August deadline, Netanyahu said he would judge the outcome only once negotiations conclude.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE
“I would say it’s not over. I would judge it when it’s over,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu also responded to Vice President JD Vance, who warned Israeli officials not to attack Trump over the Iran deal, saying the U.S. was the “only powerful ally” Israel has left.
“First of all, I respect JD Vance. We have a very good relationship, but it doesn’t mean that I agree with everything that he says,” Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu said Trump remained Israel’s strongest supporter in the White House.
“Donald Trump is a great, the greatest friend we’ve ever had in the White House, and I stand by that completely,” Netanyahu said.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
