Israeli Prime Minister (PM) Benjamin Netanyahu, on Thursday, March 19, declared that Israel and the United States were “winning” the ongoing war against Iran, claiming the Islamic Republic had been significantly weakened.

Speaking during an English-language press conference, Netanyahu said Iran had been “decimated” and no longer possessed the capacity to enrich uranium or manufacture ballistic missiles.

The Israeli leader insisted that his country independently carried out the strike on Iran’s massive South Pars gas field, even as he acknowledged intervention from the United States.

He disclosed that US President Donald Trump had requested that Israel refrain from further attacks on such infrastructure.

“President Trump asked us to hold off on future attacks and we’re holding off,” Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu, however, rejected suggestions that he had influenced Washington’s involvement in the conflict, stressing the independence of the US president’s decisions.

“Does anyone really think that someone can tell President Trump what to do?” he asked.

“He didn’t need any convincing,” he added.

Highlighting their relationship, Netanyahu said, “I don’t think any two leaders have been as coordinated as President Trump and I. He’s the leader. I’m, you know, his ally.”

The Israeli premier painted a picture of strategic success in the nearly three-week conflict, noting that key elements of Iran’s military-industrial capacity had been targeted.

“We are taking action to destroy the industries that make it possible to build missiles. Iran no longer has the capacity to enrich uranium and manufacture ballistic missiles,” he said.

“We are winning and Iran is being decimated.”

Netanyahu also claimed that the war had exposed cracks within Iran’s leadership, suggesting internal struggles for power.

“I’m not sure who’s running Iran right now. Mojtaba Khamenei, the replacement ayatollah, has not shown his face,” he said, referring to the country’s new leader following the death of his father, Ali Khamenei.

“What we see is that there is a lot of tension inside the people who are edging for the top. We’re seeing cracks, and we’re trying to propagate them as fast as we can. Not only in the top command, but we’re also seeing cracks in the field,” he added.

The conflict has also rattled global energy markets, particularly following Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Netanyahu described the move as “blackmail” that “won’t work.”

Earlier, Trump had expressed displeasure over the strike on Iran’s gas infrastructure, saying at the Oval Office, “We’re not doing that anymore.”

Despite ongoing hostilities, the Israeli leader hinted at a possible end to the conflict in the near future.

“There’s still more work to do, and we’re gonna do it,” Netanyahu said.

“But I also see this war ending a lot faster than people think.