Israeli PM Netanyahu walks diplomatic tightrope, stresses US ties 'vital' despite rift over Iran deal

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday (June 18) underscored the importance of maintaining ties with the United States. The leader emphasised how America had stood by its ally during the West Asia war.

Speaking at a function, according to a statement issued by his office as quoted by news agency AFP, he said, “The struggle is not yet over, and further challenges lie ahead. They require calm judgement, steadfast defence of Israel's security interests, and, at the same time, the preservation of our vital relationship with our American friends, who stood shoulder to shoulder with us in this fight, a partnership we deeply appreciate.”

While Netanyahu hasn't commented directly on the deal, some members of his coalition rejected it even before Wednesday's details were made public. The deal's terms call for "an immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon".

While the agreement addresses the dilution of Iran's enriched uranium stockpile, it makes no mention of how to tackle Iran's missile programme -- the dismantling of which had been a key US-Israeli objective during the war. Iran's missile infrastructure came under heavy US-Israeli bombardment in the conflict, but Tehran continued to respond with missile and drone attacks across the region.

While the deal successfully forces Iran to dilute its enriched uranium stockpile, it fails to address Tehran's missile programme. Dismantling this infrastructure was a core objective for the US and Israel during the war. Even after enduring intense US-Israeli airstrikes throughout the conflict, Iran maintained enough capability to launch retaliatory missile and drone attacks across the region.