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Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak stated that Washington and Tel Aviv failed to significantly damage Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities in the recent war.
In an article published in the Zionist newspaper Haaretz on Sunday, Barak admitted Israel’s inability to confront Iran, saying, “If no progress is made in the [potential] negotiations between Iran and the U.S., we will enter a war of attrition with Iran. In reality, our air force will face their missiles. I expect the U.S. to defend us against missiles with weapons and ammunition, but it will not engage in offensive intervention.”
Barak pointed out that Iran may receive missile launch platforms from North Korea and Pakistan, stating, “This is a major challenge—not an easy one for our missile defense systems.” Given recent events, he added, Iran is likely to expand its nuclear program.
He acknowledged that “Israel” has neither destroyed Iran’s nuclear program nor mitigated its missile threat, saying, “We delayed the progress of Iran’s nuclear program by only a few months in this war, thanks to U.S. intervention.”
Barak’s statements contradict the claims of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—a wanted war criminal under international law—and U.S. President Donald Trump, who repeatedly asserted that Iran’s nuclear program had been destroyed and that its revival would take years, according to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency.
Barak said, “Today, Iran possesses around 400 kilograms of enriched uranium, enough to equip ten nuclear warheads. Iran has undestroyed centrifuges, a large number of scientists, and sites we know nothing about. We are strong, but we cannot do everything. We must prepare for the coming phases of war.”
He also deemed it highly unlikely that potential negotiations between Iran and the U.S. would lead to a nuclear agreement imposing stricter restrictions than the previous Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Barak emphasized the difficulty of the situation, stating, “Donald Trump made a grave mistake by withdrawing from the nuclear deal in 2018—a move encouraged by Netanyahu—because Iran is now a nuclear-threshold state.”
He continued, “We are in a new era. ‘Israel’ now needs a leader who understands that military achievements cannot endure without political support. Iran has made gains and is now in a position of strength and confidence.”
While calling on the Zionist entity to join the new regional order Trump claimed to be part of, Barak said, “‘Israel’ must normalize relations with Saudi Arabia and expand the Abraham Accords. Additionally, prisoners must be rescued, the war in Gaza must end, and the challenges posed by Hezbollah and Iran must be resolved.”
The former Israeli prime minister also asserted that Netanyahu’s current government poses a real threat to Zionists and so-called “democracy, internal solidarity, and individual freedom.” He concluded, “Based on all this, once the war subsides, nothing is more important than resuming the fight against this government. We must not stop trying to overthrow it—it is the worst government in our history.”
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