Jerusalem Post/Israel NewsNetanyahu denied pressuring Trump to enter or escalate the Iran war, saying the US president is the "senior partner" as the two leaders discussed the Hormuz blockade and further military action. Follow us on GoogleU.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. Vice President JD Vance meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 4, 2025. (photo credit: REUTERS/ELIZABETH FRANTZ/FILE PHOTO)ByRUBY SADIKMANJULY 30, 2026 04:23Updated: JULY 30, 2026 04:28Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that US President Donald Trump is in full control of the war with Iran after disclosing that the two leaders discussed options to resolve the conflict in their recent meeting in Washington, ABC News reported on Thursday. Netanyahu also reportedly rejected the claims that he pushed Trump to get involved in the Iranian war initially, going on to deny persuading the president to launch a new wave of strikes after their Tuesday meeting. "No, I didn't mislead anything... nobody tells President Trump what to do," Netanyahu said.In the ABC interview, the prime minister reaffirmed that he believes Trump is at the helm of the US-Israeli partnership, calling the president the "senior partner" and himself the "junior partner.""I'm the prime minister of Israel, and when I have to stand up for the interest of my country and the security of my country, I do so," Netanyahu said. "But I always do so with a deep appreciation of the role that the United States under President Trump has played in joining forces with us against our common enemy that wants to destroy us both."Prime Minister Netanyahu meets with President Trump in the Oval Office in Washington DC. (credit: SECTION 27A COPYRIGHT ACT)Though the meeting between Trump and Netanyahu occurred behind closed doors, Netanyahu said they discussed how to end the war with Iran. Within that, they covered possibilities for negotiating with Iranian officials, the blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, and whether increased military action is necessary. Netanyahu meets with Trump, says Iran is weakenedNetanyahu also claimed that Iran is weaker than ever, but maintained a healthy amount of skepticism over whether a diplomatic solution with the regime is on the table."They always lie, they always cheat, and they always play for time. Could that, within sufficient pressure - diplomatic, economic pressure - could that change? Give it a try," Netanyahu said.ABC went on to question the prime minister on the Strait of Hormuz, though he answered that it would be impossible to know how Iran plans to weaponize the flow of commerce in the waterway. Regardless, he maintained that the strait won't hold as much weight in the oil market after the war ends."I don't think the straits are going to be that powerful a leverage because people will move the energy pipelines out of the straits to the Red Sea, from there to Israel in the Mediterranean. We can unblock this chokehold, and we will," Netanyahu said.Although Netanyahu spoke about the theoretical end to the war, the US renewed strikes in the region overnight on Wednesday into Thursday morning, hitting cities in southern Iran.Israel has remained uninvolved in the conflict, but Netanyahu said if Iran targets Israel with missiles, it would be a "perilous mistake," and Israel would respond "very, very forcefully," according to ABC.Follow us on Google