TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he wants oil and gas to flow through pipelines across the Arabian Peninsula to Israeli ports.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Netanyahu said the alternative route would remove Iran's ability to block oil exports from the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf.
About a fifth of the world's oil passes through the strategically located waterway between Iran and Oman.
"Just have oil pipelines, gas pipelines, going west through the Arabian Peninsula, right up to Israel, right up to our Mediterranean ports, and you've just done away with the choke points forever," the prime minister said. "I see that as a real change that will follow this war."
Netanyahu also said Israel had acted alone in attacking the South Pars gas fields and that US President Donald Trump had asked him "to hold off on future attacks."
On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave an address with heavy doses of praise for US President Donald Trump.
He denied that Israel "dragged" the US into the war, something that has garnered much speculation.
"Does anyone really think someone can tell President Trump what to do?" Netanyahu said before going on to express his high regard for the US president.
He gave remarks on the war, saying, "We are taking action to destroy the industries that make it possible to build missiles. Iran no longer has the capacity to enrich uranium and manufacture ballistic missiles."
"We are winning, and Iran is being decimated," he added.
Netanyahu laid out Israel's goals for the conflict:
- Removing the nuclear threat
- Removing the ballistic missile threat
- Removing both of these threats before Iran can secure them underground in bunkers immune to aerial attack
- Creating the conditions for the Iranian people to take control of the country
Without providing details, Netanyahu also hinted that ground operations may be a necessary part of the conflict — something that Trump has been keen to avoid.
Read: Iran War: Why Is the South Pars Gas Field So Important?
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