Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu [UPI=Yonhap News]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on the 26th (local time) regarding the conditions for ending the war with Iran that "the regime must either change, or it must be weakened enough to realize for itself that it must abandon its nuclear program and change course."

In an interview with Fox News that day, Prime Minister Netanyahu stated this and added, "This is exactly what President Donald Trump aims to achieve, and I fully support his efforts."

These remarks by the leader of Israel—a party to the Iran war that broke out on February 28 and a nation highly sensitive to the Iranian threat—are interpreted as a call for the total overthrow of Iran's theocratic regime or the complete destruction of its military capabilities through more powerful strikes.

Prime Minister Netanyahu continued, "If he (Trump) can do it, and if he can do it without a violent military conflict, that is fine."

This appears to be a reaction to the U.S. halting military operations since the 24th, following 13 consecutive days of airstrikes on Iran, on the grounds that dialogue is currently underway. President Trump had stated on the same day, "We are in serious talks with Iran, but if an agreement is not reached this time, I will take immediate military action."

Nevertheless, Prime Minister Netanyahu emphasized, "However, in one way or another, they (Iran) must stop their nuclear program; whether there is an agreement or not, that (nuclear weapons) program must end."

Regarding how much Iran's nuclear program has been set back since the war began, he said it has "been set back quite a bit," but added, "We have delayed their attempts (at nuclear development), but that does not mean there is no possibility of them trying again. We must remain constantly vigilant."

Prime Minister Netanyahu will visit the United States on the 27th. He is scheduled to hold a meeting with President Trump at the White House and attend the funeral of U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (Republican, South Carolina), who recently passed away unexpectedly.

When asked if he would provide the U.S. with new intelligence on Iran's nuclear program, he replied that the two countries' intelligence agencies are working very closely, so "I likely won't have any new information to present."

Regarding the recent nuclear agreement between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Netanyahu stated, "Saudi Arabia will obtain a civilian nuclear program in exchange for normalizing relations with Israel." He added, "I emphasize 'civilian' because the last thing we want, and the last thing President Trump wants, is a military nuclear program in Saudi Arabia."