Netanyahu: Iran ceasefire could end at any moment, we back Trump’s blockade

The ceasefire between Iran and the US “could turn on a dime,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of Monday’s cabinet meeting, according to multiple Hebrew media reports.

The comment came in the context of preparations for the official Independence Day ceremony next Tuesday night, with the premier adding that “we should record [the ceremony] — and if, and to the extent, that the security situation allows, then we can hold the ceremony with an audience,” according to the Walla news site.

In a video published by his office, Netanyahu said US Vice President JD Vance briefed him on his way back from talks with Iran in Pakistan over the weekend, held amid the two-week ceasefire announced last Tuesday.

The premier said the Americans “could not tolerate Iran’s blatant violation of the agreement to enter negotiations. The agreement was that they would stop the fire, and the Iranians would immediately open the Strait [of Hormuz] — they did not do so. The Americans could not accept this.”

Additionally, according to Netanyahu, Vance told him that the main issue from the US perspective was “removing all enriched material and ensuring that there will be no enrichment in the coming years — possibly for decades — no enrichment inside Iran. This is their focus, and of course it is also important to us.”

Israel supports US President Donald Trump’s decision to impose a naval blockade on Iranian ports, said Netanyahu, adding that the two sides “are in constant coordination.”

“The claims that there is a rift between us are completely false,” he said. “The exact opposite is true. Anyone who was present in these conversations, and in the daily discussions we hold with the president and his team, can attest to that.”

“This level of coordination has never existed before — not in the history of Israel, and not in the history of the Jewish people,” Netanyahu said.

Meanwhile, with the American military set to begin a naval blockade on Iran at 5 p.m. Israel time, the Israel Defense Forces said shortly before the deadline that it remained on “heightened alert” for any development.

The military said there were no changes in the Home Front Command’s guidelines for civilians as of yet, and that it remained ready to return to fighting in Iran if necessary.

US Central Command, and later Trump himself, said the blockade would be more limited than the one envisaged in an earlier post by the president, in which he asserted that all ships trying to enter or exit the strait would be blocked. In fact, US forces will not impede vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports.

Later, Trump told reporters, speaking about the Iranians: “I don’t care if they come back [to the table] or not. If they don’t come back, I’m fine.” It was also reported that the US is considering limited strikes in Iran to force the Islamic Republic’s hand.

Turkey: US and Iran remain ‘sincere’ about truce

Turkey’s top diplomat said he believes both Iran and the United States remain “sincere” about reaching a ceasefire despite the failure of Pakistan-mediated talks over the weekend.

“Both sides are sincere about the ceasefire,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said in an interview with the official Anadolu news agency. Fidan said he has been in contact with the parties involved in the negotiations.

Israel was not represented at the negotiations in Islamabad last week that took place amid the ceasefire, which was announced last Tuesday with key declared goals of the war unfulfilled. Host Pakistan has no diplomatic ties with Israel and does not recognize its sovereignty.

Israel launched its campaign against Iran, alongside the US, on February 28 to degrade the Iranian regime’s military capabilities, distance threats posed by Iran — including its nuclear and ballistic missile programs — and “create the conditions” for the Iranian people to topple the regime, the military and other Israeli leaders have said.