"Never Again" in the Strait: Netanyahu Backs U.S. Blockade in Historic Show of Force
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backs the U.S. naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz following a "negotiation explosion" with Iran. Netanyahu cites unprecedented coordination with the Trump administration and issues a powerful "Never Again" warning on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed firm support today for the U.S. decision to impose a naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, emphasizing that Israel and the United States are in "constant coordination."
Speaking during a cabinet meeting today (Monday), Netanyahu addressed the escalating maritime tensions for the first time. He revealed details of a conversation held yesterday with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, who called the Prime Minister from his plane while returning from Islamabad.
The Breakdown of Negotiations
According to Netanyahu, Vice President Vance provided a detailed report on the "explosion" of negotiations with Iran.
"The explosion came from the American side, which could not tolerate Iran's blatant violation of the agreement to enter negotiations," Netanyahu stated. "The agreement was for a ceasefire, with the Iranians immediately opening the Straits. They failed to do so. The Americans could not accept this."
Netanyahu noted that the central focus for President Trump and the U.S. administration remains the total removal of enriched material from Iran and ensuring a total ban on domestic enrichment for decades to come.
"Unprecedented Coordination"
The Prime Minister took the opportunity to dismiss rumors of a rift between Jerusalem and Washington, describing the current level of strategic cooperation as historic.
"The talk of a disconnect between us is the exact opposite of reality," Netanyahu asserted. "There is coordination here that has never existed before, not in the history of the State, and not in the history of the Jewish people. We have coordination with the strongest power in the world and the ability to repel existential threats."
Reflection on Holocaust Remembrance Day
Connecting the current security situation to the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah), Netanyahu drew a sharp parallel between the Iranian nuclear program and the horrors of the past.
"If we had not acted, if we had not taken our fate into our own hands... the names Isfahan, Natanz, Fordow, and Bushehr would be remembered like Auschwitz, Majdanek, and Sobibor," he said.
He concluded with a message of national strength: "They rise up to destroy us, and we rise up against them. In this generation, we have risen against them... this ensures the main thing: Never Again."