Netanyahu says Iran's nuclear and missile programmes ‘crushed’ as talks underway in Islamabad

As high-stakes negotiations between top American and Iranian officials continued in Pakistan's capital, with both sides trading threats, mistrust, and allegations in public, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday (April 12) declared that the joint US-Israeli campaign had succeeded in "crushing" Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

"We have succeeded in crushing the nuclear programme, and crushing the missile programme," Netanyahu said in a televised statement, adding that the war against Tehran had also weakened Iran's leadership and its regional allies. "They wanted to strangle us, and now we are strangling them. They threatened us with annihilation, and now they are fighting for survival."

He said there were "enormous achievements" in the war effort. "They are reflected in this weakened regime, which is now even seeking a ceasefire," he said.

Netanyahu added that, for decades, Iran's leadership and its allies had threatened Israel.

Turning to Lebanon, which has emerged as the most contentious issue at the Islamabad talks, Netanyahu said any peace agreement with Beirut must be one that "lasts for generations."

He confirmed that Lebanon had reached out multiple times in the past month to begin direct peace talks and that he had given his approval on two conditions. "We want the dismantling of Hezbollah's weapons, and we want a real peace agreement that will last for generations," he said.

On the ground in Islamabad, the trilateral talks between the US, Iran, and Pakistan ran into friction while the White House confirmed in a brief statement that the in-person talks were "ongoing," offering no further detail. Iranian state broadcaster IRIB had earlier reported that two rounds had taken place and a third was expected.

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Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency painted a more troubled picture, reporting that after both delegations moved from in-person expert negotiations to exchanging draft texts, a key step toward establishing a common framework, American demands had disrupted the process. "The American delegation, with its usual excessive demands, has hindered the progress of the process," Tasnim's correspondent in Islamabad reported.

Adding another flashpoint, US President Donald Trump said Washington had begun "clearing out" the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world's crude oil passes in peacetime. US Central Command confirmed it had launched an operation to clear mines laid by Iran.

"Today, we began the process of establishing a new passage, and we will share this safe pathway with the maritime industry soon to encourage the free flow of commerce," said CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper. The Iranian military denied that any American vessels had entered the waterway.

Iran has said any agreement to end the war must include the unfreezing of sanctioned Iranian assets and an end to Israel's campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Vice President JD Vance, however, earlier said Lebanon will not be up for discussion in Islamabad.