Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denied that Israel “dragged” the United States into the war with Iran, praising US President Donald Trump while rejecting suggestions that Washington acted at Israel’s behest.
Speaking at a press conference, Netanyahu questioned whether “anyone really think someone can tell President Trump what to do?” He lauded the coordination with the US and said Israel and its allies are taking action to dismantle Iran’s capacity to build missiles and enrich uranium. “We are winning, and Iran is being decimated,” he said, and outlined Israel’s aims as removing the nuclear and ballistic missile threats, preventing Iran from securing those capabilities underground, and creating conditions that could enable the Iranian people to take control of their country.
Netanyahu also hinted that ground operations might become necessary, a step the Trump administration has sought to avoid. He said Israel had acted alone in strikes on Iran’s South Pars gas fields and claimed President Trump had asked him “to hold off on future attacks.”
The US role in the campaign and its consultation with regional partners has become a subject of debate. Gulf states are reassessing whether hosting US bases has made them safer or turned them into targets, while Iran has sought clarification from Germany over whether the US air base at Ramstein has been used for operations against Tehran. German officials have not publicly detailed any such role, and Berlin faces political and legal questions about the use of territory and facilities that host US forces.
International responses and regional fallout
EU leaders, meeting in Brussels, strongly condemned Iran’s strikes on regional targets and called for de-escalation, restraint, and the protection of civilians and infrastructure. They urged a moratorium on attacks against energy and water facilities and expressed solidarity with Cyprus after an Iranian-made drone struck a British base on the island, raising tensions over the UK presence there.
The UN’s International Maritime Organization said some 20,000 seafarers aboard nearly 2,000 ships have been affected by disruptions, and called for work toward establishing a safe corridor to evacuate crews caught behind Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The IMO reported multiple vessel incidents and seven associated deaths.
In Washington, Secretary of State Marco Rubio approved an emergency weapons sale worth about $16.46 billion to Gulf partners Kuwait and the UAE, citing urgent security needs. The package includes missiles, drones, radars, F-16 munitions and upgrades, and was authorized to bypass standard congressional approval processes.
Political and civilian impacts
The war is reshaping diplomatic and domestic debates worldwide. Denmark and Italy urged the European Union to prepare for a possible increase in migration and proposed mechanisms to provide aid to regions of origin rather than face large refugee flows to Europe.
Sports and cultural arenas have also been affected. FIFA rejected Iran’s request to move its 2026 World Cup group-stage matches from the United States to Mexico, saying the tournament schedule must stand. FIFA fined the Israel Football Association 150,000 Swiss francs for tolerating politicized and militaristic messaging and ordered prominent anti-discrimination messaging at future home matches.
Other incidents linked to the conflict include shrapnel from a downed missile striking the Bazan oil refinery in Haifa without reported injuries, and heightened concern over maritime and energy chokepoints. Netanyahu suggested that, after the war, oil and gas could be routed via pipelines across the Arabian Peninsula to Israeli ports to bypass the Strait of Hormuz — a proposal he said would remove Iran’s ability to threaten global energy flows.
As the conflict continues, questions remain about its scope and endgame. Analysts warn that strikes on civilian infrastructure, regional proxy escalations, and the involvement of foreign bases complicate prospects for de-escalation, while leaders on multiple fronts call for restraint to prevent wider spillover.