Netanyahu claims military operations stopped Iran from using nuclear weapons

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed on Sunday that Iran would already possess and have used nuclear weapons against Israel if not for recent Israeli military operations. Speaking at the JNS International Policy Summit, Netanyahu asserted that military actions had successfully disrupted Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

However, public evidence from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and United States intelligence agencies runs counter to Netanyahu's claims, showing no active nuclear weapons program in Iran.

During his address, Netanyahu highlighted two specific military campaigns. He stated that without Operation Rising Lion and Operation Roaring Lion, Iran would have acquired atomic bombs and used them against Israel.

Under Operation Rising Lion in June 2025, Israel engaged in a 12-day war against Iran, during which the U.S. struck Iranian nuclear facilities, destroying centrifuges and halting uranium enrichment. Israel subsequently launched Operation Roaring Lion, which targeted senior Iranian leadership.

Despite these operations, U.S. intelligence and the IAEA maintain that Iran has not operated an active nuclear weapons program since 2003, when Tehran abandoned such efforts during the U.S. invasion of Iraq. A 2025 report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence explicitly stated that they continue to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon.

IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi noted that while Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium could potentially allow it to build up to 10 nuclear bombs, the country has not yet taken the necessary steps. To build a weapon, Iran would still need to enrich uranium to 90% purity, construct a functioning weapon, miniaturize it, and mount it on a ballistic missile—a process experts say would take months or years.

Netanyahu's intensified rhetoric comes amid upcoming Israeli elections and a recent interim peace deal reached between the U.S. and Iran. Iran has consistently maintained that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful.