President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that the U.S. would not forbid Iran from possessing ballistic missiles, downplaying the threat despite it being a key war aim in the onset of the conflict. Speaking at the G7 summit in France, the president asserted that the majority of Iran’s missile capabilities have been destroyed and that he could not enforce the provision since other countries also “have some.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio asserted in March that a key U.S. aim in the war would be “the destruction of Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities and their ability to manufacture them.”

“I mean, they have to have some, because other people have some … It doesn’t work that way. And missiles aren’t the problem,” Trump explained. “Missiles are, they hurt a little location, but they don’t blow up the planet.”

When asked whether it would be acceptable for the administration to allow Iran to keep its ballistic missiles, Trump argued that Tehran’s capacity has been significantly depleted over the course of the conflict. 

“What are they keeping?” Trump responded. “We knocked out probably 84%-85% of their missiles. The rest are underground, they can’t even get them out. On the first night we knocked out hundreds of their missiles.”

Trump also asserted that Iran does not “want to be firing missiles right now,” noting that instead Tehran is likely focused on rebuilding what has been damaged during the war. 

WATCH: When asked whether it would be acceptable for the administration to allow Iran to keep its ballistic missiles, Trump argued that their capacity has been significantly depleted over the course of the conflict.

“What are they keeping?” Trump responded. “We knocked out… pic.twitter.com/Ysu5MfiZjt

— Jewish Insider (@jewishinsider) June 17, 2026

The president also praised Israel as a “good partner” in the conflict and argued that the nuclear restrictions laid out in the U.S.’ agreement with Tehran are the ultimate victory for Jerusalem. According to Trump, if Iran were to acquire a nuclear weapon, “Israel would have been blown away.”

“Look, think of what Israel’s getting, they’re not going to be nuked, very simple,” Trump said. “I told [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu], ‘Your biggest risk was that they [Iran] drop a nuclear weapon into the middle of Israel. They’d only need one, and there would be no more Israel. Think of it, Bibi, you got the best, the most important thing that you were asking for is that. So, I think they’re happy.”

Regarding the technical specifics of the deal, Trump stated that Iran has agreed to work with the U.S. to “turn over” its enriched material. He noted that while the material is secured “deep in the bowels of the earth” and monitored by cameras, technical discussions to remove the stockpiles would begin immediately. He insisted that, unlike the Obama administration’s implementation of the JCPOA, any relief Iran receives under this framework would be strictly “based on merit.”

Additionally, while Trump maintained that the U.S. did not enter the conflict seeking “regime change,” he argued that the war’s casualties effectively accomplished that by wiping out multiple tiers of Iranian leadership.

“They have a new group of leaders that I think is actually very smart, I think they’re far less radicalized, and I think they’re really good. They love their country,” Trump said. “You talk about regime change, nobody will say that, but … one set of leaders is all gone, the second set of leaders is all gone, their third set of leaders a little bit gone, but for the most part, I think that’s regime change.”

Trump also returned to vocalizing his frustrations with Israel’s military approach against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“Israel, by the way, they’ve been a good partner again. I love them as a partner. They were terrific, but they could do a much better job with Hezbollah. On that, I don’t think they’re doing well, and I feel very bad for Lebanon,” Trump said. “I’m not saying they shouldn’t protect themselves. I’m saying, when two drones are shot into the desert and drop harmlessly, you don’t have to knock down buildings in Beirut. [Israel] could behave better, and frankly, they could do a better job.”

Trump characterized the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah as a “very small piece of the puzzle” compared to the agreement with Iran, though he said it “makes a lot of noise,” adding that he has urged Netanyahu to use a “softer touch” when conducting strikes.

“He happens to be a very good man. We’ve had an amazing partnership,” Trump said of Netanyahu. “We have a little dispute over Lebanon. I say you can do a little softer touch, maybe you don’t have to knock down a building every time somebody walks into it that’s from Hezbollah … but he will say we’re the big partner, he’s the very small partner, that’s true.”

The president contrasted the situation in Lebanon with what he described as major progress in the Gaza Strip, claiming that “Hamas has been very silent” as the U.S. attempts to disarm the group.

“Look at the job we’ve done in Gaza. Look at Hamas. Hamas has been very silent. You haven’t read anything about Hamas. We’re trying to get them unarmed,” Trump remarked. “They grew up with a machine gun in their hand … but they’ve actually behaved pretty well, considering this was not the lifestyle that they were taught to have.”

As details begin to emerge about the Trump administration’s agreement with Iran to end the war and lift the U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, some mainstream Jewish organizations are treating the deal as a preliminary step — focusing on the 60-day negotiating period ahead, while others are expressing skepticism about the contours of the agreement.

AIPAC, in a statement that came late Monday afternoon after many other organizations had already spoken out, framed the current MOU as a preliminary step, focusing more on the upcoming negotiations, while emphasizing the need for more details about how the current deal affects Israel.

“The announced MOU kicks off a new 60-day window for talks. We look forward to learning the full details of the framework for these negotiations, including whether the deal preserves the sovereign right of our democratic ally Israel to respond to the security threats it confronts,” AIPAC said in a statement.

The group also emphasized that “Congress will play a critical role in working with the administration throughout these negotiations and in reviewing the ultimate agreement.” 

It said any deal should require the removal of all enriched uranium from Iran, the dismantling of its enrichment capacity and should address Iran’s missile and drone programs and end its support for terrorist proxies.

The American Jewish Committee also did not take a definitive position on the current agreement, saying on X that the organization “await[s] developments about the reported 60-day ceasefire agreement” but emphasized the need to continue to focus on Iran’s long-running threats.

The AJC said that any ultimate deal with Iran at the conclusion of the upcoming 60-day negotiating period should ensure Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon, rebuild its ballistic missile program, continue to support terror proxies, threaten U.S. allies and partners or hold the Strait of Hormuz hostage.

“AJC also strongly supports the legitimate aspirations of the Iranian people for greater freedom, opportunity and dignity, and hopes that those aspirations are eventually realized,” the statement continued. “As the contours of this and future agreements become more clear, we will continue to engage with our partners in the U.S., the Middle East, and around the world to make this vision a reality.”

Other groups offered a more directly negative reaction to the emerging details of the MOU.

The Zionist Organization of America, which has been strongly supportive of Trump administration policies and President Donald Trump himself, praised the president for carrying out military operations against Iran but said that “the pending deal with Iran is concerning.”

“The deal appears to be an ‘agreement to negotiate’ — which enables the Iranian regime to obtain massive oil revenue and time to build up its military and terror arsenals, while leaving the genocidal Iranian regime and its nuclear and missile stockpiles in place, and positioning the Iranian regime to continue and strengthen its 47-year war to destroy the U.S., Israel, and the West,” ZOA National President Mort Klein said. “[T]he little that we know is deeply problematic.”

Klein said it “makes no sense” for the U.S. to let up on its blockade of Iran unless Iran fully gives up its nuclear program and missile stockpile. He also expressed concerns that the deal will allow Hezbollah to regroup and rearm, and that Trump demanded that Israel stand down against Hezbollah.

“Pressuring Israel to not respond to threats of annihilation and attacks on her people is not, as the president called it, a ‘Great Deal [that] will bring Peace and Security to the whole Region,’” Klein said.

“Disturbingly, the interim Iran deal does not appear to be even close to the U.S.-Israel war goals of eliminating the existential dangers of Iran’s nuclear program and ballistic missiles, ending the Iranian regime’s support for its terror proxies, and helping the Iranian people overturn the brutal, genocidal Iranian regime,” he continued.

Democratic groups are also skeptical.

Democratic Majority for Israel CEO Brian Romick criticized the administration’s “incoherent and erratic strategy” and said that “there are concerning details about what is and isn’t in this deal.” Romick called on the administration to lean on “experienced negotiators and technical experts” in the next phases of talks, “rather than relying on friends, family, and donors.”

He said that any deal must permanently end Iran’s nuclear program, constrain its ballistic missiles, address Iran’s support for terrorism and ensure that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran’s terrorist proxies do not receive additional support as a result of sanctions relief or the unfreezing of assets, and that it must be thoroughly vetted by Congress.

“Despite this tentative deal, the reality is Israel still faces constant threats from Iranian-backed terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. President Trump must not limit or interfere with our ally’s ability to defend itself from very real threats along its border,” Romick continued.

The Jewish Democratic Council of America’s CEO Halie Soifer took an even more strident tone.

“Donald Trump’s deal with Iran isn’t a deal at all. At best, it’s a statement of intention — a ‘concept of a plan’ — lacking details. At worst, it’s an admission of defeat by the United States,” Soifer said, describing it as a weaker deal than the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

She argued that the “reckless war” gave Iran a “chokehold” on the U.S. and global economy that it will continue to exercise in the future, gave Iran a stronger hand in nuclear negotiations, solidified the current regime, harmed the Iranian people and gained the U.S. nothing.

“Today, Iran is unquestionably further from regime change — and this Iranian regime is stronger — than before the war,” Soifer said. “Trump repeatedly berated the Obama administration for offering sanctions relief and unfreezing Iranian assets as part of the JCPOA. The amount of financial benefit Iran received from the JCPOA will be dwarfed by the amount of money going to Iran following Trump’s defeat.”

Soifer also criticized Trump for sidelining and ignoring Israel throughout the talks.

J Street has thus far been an outlier in expressing support for the deal.

The group’s president, Jeremy Ben-Ami, said J Street “welcomes” the announcement, while also criticizing the war effort as a whole.

“The lesson is the same one many experts and former security officials have warned about for years: There is no sustainable military solution to the challenge posed by Iran’s nuclear diplomacy,” Ben-Ami said. “Durable constraints on Iran’s nuclear activities can only be achieved through pragmatic and sustained diplomacy.”

Ben-Ami argued that the deal would be largely similar to the JCPOA, adding, “We urge lawmakers to support this agreement to end the fighting and push to ensure future diplomatic efforts address the security threats presented by Iran.”

The Republican Jewish Coalition has not issued a full statement of its own on the deal, but has indicated support thus far, sharing on its X account two Truth Social posts from Trump about the Strait of Hormuz being reopened and the lifting of the U.S. blockade. RJC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Iran launched a number of ballistic missiles at Israel on Sunday night for the first time since the U.S. and Iran reached a tenuous ceasefire in early April. 

The IDF said it had intercepted all of the missiles “thus far,” and no injuries were reported. Israel’s Home Front Command canceled schools nationwide on Monday.

Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesperson for the Iranian parliament’s foreign policy and national security committee, had warned several hours prior to the attacks that Iran would deliver “a decisive and painful response” to the IDF’s strikes in the suburbs of Beirut earlier in the day. “These rabid dogs must be disciplined and put back in their place. Watch the sky over [Israel] tonight,” he wrote on X.

Earlier Sunday, the IDF struck the Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh, where it said it was targeting a Hezbollah headquarters, in response to the terror group’s missile attacks on northern Israel on Sunday morning. 

President Donald Trump announced he had brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah last week, though the terror group quickly rejected the deal.

Shortly after Iran’s attacks, Trump told Fox News that the incident was “certainly not going to help” the ongoing negotiations between the U.S. and Iran. He continued, “What I would suggest to Iran: You’ve shot your missiles, that’s enough, get back to the table and make a deal.” 

About Israel’s strikes in Beirut, Trump said, “I’m not happy about it.” 

Trump also told Axios, “I am going to call [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu right now and tell him not to strike back. … Each of them had their fun. Israel had its strike and Iran had its strike. We don’t need another one.” Israeli sources, however, told several news outlets that the IDF planned to deliver a “powerful” response to Iran.

Trump also said Netanyahu “won’t have any choice” but to accept any deal the U.S. reaches with Iran, in an interview with the Financial Times shortly after the Iranian attacks. “I call the shots. I call all the shots. He [Netanyahu] doesn’t call the shots,” the president said.

Days after launching the war against Iran last month, Israel and the U.S. began signaling that they were quickly degrading the Iranian ballistic missile threat. Two weeks into the war, the White House posted on X that “Iran’s entire ballistic missile capacity [was] functionally destroyed.” 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a press conference last week that “Iran’s missile and drone arsenal is being massively degraded and will be destroyed.” The IDF has repeatedly sent updates over the past month about having destroyed the majority of Iran’s ballistic missiles and launchers. 

So why are missile barrages and rushing to the bomb shelters still a part of most Israelis’ daily  lives?

Sirens sounded 10 times in Israel’s center on Thursday. In the last week, about 1,000 alerts were sent out to different parts of Israel due to Iranian missiles. Israelis from Eilat to the Golan have spent many hours in shelters since the war began. Two fatalities were reported in recent days, but nearly 300 people have been injured since the beginning of this week, according to the spokesperson for Magen David Adom emergency services.

Jonathan Schanzer, executive director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Jewish Insider that “this is a war, and wars have tides that come in and out … [they] require a certain amount of adjustment and patience. You’re not going to get everything you want in a linear fashion.”

The IDF declined to comment on the unusual number of Iranian missiles penetrating Israel this week – in contrast with the war overall, during which only about 40% of the missiles crossed into Israeli skies, according to the INSS, generally resulting in fewer sirens each day. 

Schanzer pointed to the weather as one explanation: Clouds, rain and fog in Iran make it difficult for Israeli Air Force drones, which remain in Iran’s skies at all times, to detect and destroy missile launchers before they shoot. 

But even if the skies were sunny, “the number of missiles [left in Iran] is likely below 1,000 and could be down to 500; it’s an inexact science,” Schanzer said. “The missile capability is obviously still there and has been throughout, and that doesn’t change. … They still have the ability to fire.”

There’s a term in Hebrew, which translates to “armaments economy,” that explains another aspect of what is happening. The IDF, Schanzer said, is “probably thinking about … how many missile interceptors do you burn when you know there are another two or three weeks left of Iran’s capability to launch, and there’s also [the war in Lebanon]. There is a calculus and there is an uncomfortable one.” 

A new report from the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA) found that 90% of the roughly 4,200 missiles and drones fired by Iran at targets across the region were intercepted, but American, Israeli and Gulf states’ air defenses have been degraded by Iran’s targeting of radar and communication links. “The war has become a stockpile race,” JINSA stated. “U.S. and Israeli offensive fire must exhaust Iran’s missiles and drones before … interceptor stocks run too low.”

Yaakov Katz, a military expert and author of While Israel Slept: How Hamas Surprised the Most Powerful Military in the Middle East, argued to JI that missile launcher destruction is the wrong way of looking at the war, meant to “create a narrative of accomplishment,” when there is still much work to be done.

Ultimately, Katz argued, people don’t care about the number of missiles that were destroyed when they’re “in the bomb shelter five, six times a day. … They’re getting hammered. It’s not a way to measure anything.”

“The IDF knows when they blow up a launcher … They know what they destroyed,” Katz said. “But the number remaining constantly changes, which proves it is BS. … In week one [the IDF] said there were 150 launchers left. In week two they said 150 left. A few days ago, they said 150 again.”

Katz pointed out that the IDF likely does not know how many missiles and launchers Iran has underground. “There is satellite footage showing [the IDF] destroyed entrances to the underground ‘missile cities,’ but they don’t know how long it takes to excavate [new entrances] or what damage there is inside.”

While Katz said that he doesn’t “diminish from the value of taking a threat, degrading it and having more time to live in a place of security,” he does not view that as a victory, because the threat will return. He pointed to how rapidly Iran was able to produce new ballistic missiles after last year’s 12-day war: “They’re going to rebuild everything.” 

“Just saying they destroyed 70-80% of missile launchers … If that’s your measure of success, you’re basically confirming there will be another war in the future,” he added.

“This war has three potential victories,” Katz said, listing regime change, removing Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium and, lastly, reaching “a deal that provides for any or all of those, plus restrictions on the development and range of ballistic missiles.”

Katz also noted that the United Arab Emirates is relaying a similar message — that degrading Iranian missiles is not enough. He cited a recent Fox News appearance by Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE’s minister of state at the foreign ministry, and an op-ed by Yousef Al Otaiba, the UAE ambassador to the U.S., who wrote in The Wall Street Journal, “We need a conclusive outcome that addresses Iran’s full range of threats: nuclear capabilities, missiles, drones, terror proxies and blockades of international sea lanes.”

Schanzer agreed that the number of missiles and launchers destroyed is “a tactical measure … you’re attacking the arrow and not the archer.” However, he added: “You can criticize it all you want, but if that’s all you’ve got, then you’re doing all you can.”

“The bigger goal is regime change, but there’s no handbook for that either,” he said. “I still think America and Israel have the advantage. There is zero air defense in Iran, the leadership is absolutely decimated, the arsenal is smaller than it was, and the regime is under enormous strain. That is the most important measure to look at right now. It doesn’t mean there aren’t challenges [such as] the Strait of Hormuz and missile attacks.” 

Iran’s launch over the weekend of two ballistic missiles targeting the joint U.S.-U.K. Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean — hours after London said it would allow the U.S. to use the base to launch strikes on Iranian missile sites — deepened concerns that the Islamic Republic had not been forthcoming in the past about its weapons capabilities and set off alarms in Europe that the continent could find itself on the receiving end of Tehran’s long-range missiles.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said last month that the Islamic Republic only had ballistic missiles with the capacity to hit targets within a 2,000-km radius (approximately 1,200 miles), with the country’s state-run media quoting the diplomat as saying “We are not developing long-range missiles … we have limited the range below 2,000 kilometers.”

Diego Garcia is some 4,000 km from Iran, twice as far as the distance Iran’s top diplomat had claimed the country’s missiles could reach. It’s further from Tehran than most major European capitals — meaning that the bulk of the European continent is potentially within striking range of Iran. (And, critically, without the types of air defenses and civilian protective measures that have been deployed multiple times a day in Israel for the last month.)

The discrepancy didn’t go unnoticed by current and former U.S. officials. Brett McGurk, who served as a senior national security official in the Biden administration, noted Araghchi’s February claim alongside a map showing Diego Garcia’s distance from Iran, saying that Araghchi’s blatant falsehood “speaks for itself.” In a rare show of agreement between the Trump administration and its predecessor, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the White House’s rapid-response account shared McGurk’s post.

In a statement over the weekend, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir warned that Iran had missiles “that can reach London, Paris or Berlin.”

A senior Iranian official denied to the fringe outlet Drop Site News that it was behind the attack.

Though neither missile reached the Chagos Island base — one fell short and one was intercepted — the weekend launches have elevated concerns that Tehran has developed the capacity to strike deep inside Europe — most of which is much closer to the Islamic Republic than the Diego Garcia base in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

Senior British officials largely sidestepped specific concerns about the potential for Tehran to target U.K. soil. The country’s housing minister, Steve Reed, appeared to be the most senior British official to directly take on the implications for the U.K. of the attempted strikes on Diego Garcia, saying that there was “no specific assessment” indicating that Iran was planning to target the U.K. London has so far refrained from direct military engagement with Iran, but that neutrality could be tested if Tehran threatens U.K. interests.

The twin revelations that Iran has the capabilities to strike much further than initially believed, and that Tehran’s top diplomat — who has engaged in direct talks with the White House — has lied about those capabilities, are likely to deepen suspicion of the Islamic Republic among Trump administration officials and could prompt the EU and the U.K. to take a more aggressive posture toward the Islamic Republic.

U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian production sites during the ongoing war have destroyed the Islamic Republic’s ballistic missile production capabilities, the IDF told Jewish Insider on Wednesday.

”Right now, they are unable, during this war, to produce ballistic missiles … due to steps we and the Americans took,” IDF Lt.-Col. Nadav Shoshani, the IDF’s international spokesperson, said in response to a query from JI. 

The elimination of production facilities and stores of material for manufacturing the missiles means that Iran has a finite number of ballistic missiles that they produce domestically. The Islamic Republic has been burning through its ballistic missile stockpile daily, shooting at Israel and others in the region.

Shoshani noted that ahead of the war, Iran engaged in the “hyper-production” of ballistic missiles, and suggested that the Islamic Republic could restart production after the war, as it did after last year’s 12-day June war.

”But right now, as they’re fighting and desperate, they are unable to produce more missiles,” he added.

The White House said in an X post on Saturday that “Iran’s ballistic missile capacity is functionally destroyed.” 

Jonathan Schanzer, executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told JI that stopping Iran’s ballistic missile production “is a major achievement for both Israel and the United States. It’s a both a sign of tremendous intelligence collection and the ability to act on that intelligence.”

“The regime now has roughly 500 to 1,000 ballistic missiles,” Schanzer added. “Every time they fire one, their arsenal thins out. This is good news for Israelis who are tired of running to shelter.”

Overnight, an Iranian missile strike killed a husband and wife in their 70s in their home in Ramat Gan, a city adjacent to Tel Aviv. Israel’s Home Front Command confirmed that the missile carried cluster munitions; the strike also caused damage in the nearby city of Bnei Brak.

Naftali Halberstadt, an EMT with emergency service Magen David Adam, said that in Ramat Gan he “saw heavy smoke and destruction in a residential building. There was shattered glass and scattered items. During searches inside the apartment, two casualties were found unconscious, without a pulse and not breathing, with severe injuries … They showed no signs of life and we had to pronounce them dead.” 

An eyewitness told Kann, Israel’s public broadcaster, that there was a direct hit on the top floor of the building where the couple lived, and their balcony fell to the ground. A neighbor told ynet that the man used a walker.

On Wednesday morning, a 71-year-old man who lost consciousness on his way to a shelter in Rishon Lezion was taken to a hospital in critical condition. People at the scene attempted to resuscitate him with a defibrillator before MDA reached the site.

Since the start of hostilities last month, MDA has reported 263 casualties from missile fire, including 14 fatalities. In addition, nearly 800 people were injured while making their way to shelter. 

A day after announcing the elimination of the Iranian regime’s most senior security official, Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani, and commander of the Basij paramilitary force Gholamreza Soleimani, the IDF continued to strike sites in Iran.

A day after announcing the elimination of the Iranian regime’s most senior security official, Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani, and commander of the Basij paramilitary force Gholamreza Soleimani, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that Israel killed Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib.

Khatib “was responsible for the Iranian regime’s internal system of murder and oppression and on advancing external threats,” Katz said. “Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu and I authorized the IDF to eliminate any senior Iranian figure … without additional authorization. We will continue to eliminate and hunt down all of them.”

The IDF said it eliminated over 10 Basij posts in Tehran on Tuesday. The Basij had begun operations “from posts embedded within public areas in the heart of Tehran,” the IDF stated. One of the sites was previously used as a soccer club.

The IDF also continued its strikes and “forward defensive operations” by ground troops on Lebanon, the military spokesperson’s office said.

”The IDF will not allow any harm to the residents of Israel,” IDF Spokesperson Brig.-Gen. Effie Defrin said. “We are striking Hezbollah with determination at this very moment and will continue to target anyone who threatens our security.”

The Israeli Air Force struck dozens of Hezbollah infrastructure sites in three areas of Lebanon — Beirut, the Beqaa Valley and southern Lebanon — on Tuesday. Among the targets was an underground site used to store weapons, including cruise missiles and rockets, and Hezbollah’s stores of cash.

Israeli troops on the ground in southern Lebanon targeted 80 Hezbollah infrastructure sites, the IDF said Wednesday morning.

The IDF warned on Tuesday that Hezbollah was preparing to shoot a large barrage of rockets at Israel’s north, and later said that its efforts “reduced the scope of fire towards Israel.” While the Lebanese terrorist group did launch rockets into Israel, no casualties were reported.