Khaled Yousef
23 June 2026•Update: 23 June 2026
Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said on Tuesday that the United States would be "very naive” if it believes Iran will abandon its nuclear program, hinting that Tel Aviv “may act alone” against Tehran.
"The Americans are very naive if they think the Iranians will abandon their nuclear program and cancel it, and give up their dreams of destroying Israel," Ben-Gvir said in an interview with Israel's Channel 7.
“It is Israel's responsibility to confront this Iranian threat and act against it alone,"he added.
The extremist minister said “no circumstances” could force Israel to work "according to the dictates of a friend, even if that friend is truly great.”
Differences have recently emerged between the US and Israel over Tel Aviv’s military offensive in Lebanon amid ongoing talks between Washington and Tehran to reach a lasting peace agreement.
Washington and Tel Aviv accuse Tehran of possessing nuclear and missile programs that allegedly threaten Israel and regional states allied with the US. Iran, however, insists that its nuclear program is peaceful and not aimed at developing nuclear weapons or threatening other countries.
The US and Israel launched a war on Iran on Feb. 28, triggering retaliatory attacks from Tehran that targeted US assets across the Middle East. The fighting was halted on April 8 under a ceasefire mediated by Islamabad.
US President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian electronically signed a memorandum of understanding on June 17 aimed at reaching a lasting peace agreement between the two sides.
*Writing by Serdar Dincel in Istanbul
