Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Monday delivered Israel’s first public reaction to the US-Iran agreement announced by Washington and Tehran, declaring that any deal brokered by US President
Donald Trump would not be binding on Israel and insisting that the country would continue to make independent security decisions.
The remarks came after the United States and Iran reached an initial agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and extend a fragile ceasefire in the war.
The deal, which is expected to be formally signed in Switzerland on Friday, June 19, seeks to halt military operations across multiple fronts while opening the door to negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme and other outstanding issues.
In a lengthy post on X, Ben-Gvir stressed that Israel would not subordinate its security interests to international agreements.
“Trump’s agreement does not bind us. Israel is not subject to the United States, and we are an independent and sovereign nation!” he wrote.
While expressing appreciation for Washington and Trump, Ben-Gvir argued that Israel must retain complete freedom of action in dealing with threats from Hezbollah and other Iran-backed groups.
“We emphasize: We love the USA and are grateful to President Trump. And yet, the State of Israel is not a banana republic,” he mentioned.
The minister framed his opposition to the agreement as a lesson drawn from Israel’s past dealings with international diplomacy.
According to Ben-Gvir, previous decisions to yield to foreign pressure had harmed Israel’s security interests.
“Every time we succumbed to international pressure at the expense of Israel’s security, we paid a blood price with interest,” he said, citing the Oslo Accords, the 2006 Lebanon agreement and periods of restraint in Gaza as examples.
His comments came as details of the US-Iran memorandum of understanding remained limited.
The agreement was first announced by Pakistan, one of the key mediators, which said both sides had agreed to the “immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon.”
However, it remained unclear whether Israel had agreed to such terms.
Ben-Gvir directly addressed the issue of Lebanon in his statement, making clear that he opposed any arrangement that could restrict Israeli military operations.
“My position is clear: We are not partners to this agreement that does not ensure our security, and it does not bind us in any way,” he wrote.
He added that Israel “must not compromise on anything less than the dismantling of Hezbollah” and argued that Israeli forces should not withdraw from territory captured during military operations.
The minister also said Israel should not return to a situation in which militants are positioned near northern Israeli communities and warned against tolerating attacks from Lebanese territory.
“We must make it clear: Every launch of a drone, UAV, or missile toward Israel from Lebanon will lead to an Israeli strike in Dahiya,” he said.
“That was the deterrence balance just a few months ago, and we must not give it up in any way.”
ההסכם של טראמפ אינו מחייב אותנו. ישראל לא כפופה לארצות הברית ואנחנו מדינה עצמאית וריבונית!
חובתנו לאזרחי ישראל לחיילי צה״ל ולעם היהודי וחובתנו ההיסטורית לנרדפים ולנרצחים היהודים באלפי שנות גלות, להעניק ביטחון ליהודים בארץ ישראל.
בכל פעם שנכנענו ללחץ בינלאומי על חשבון ביטחון…
— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) June 15, 2026
The US-Iran agreement remains subject to a formal signing expected on Friday.
AP reported that Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi confirmed the accord but said implementation would not begin until the document is signed.
The deal would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global energy supplies, and remove the US naval blockade imposed during the conflict.
It also establishes a 60-day window for negotiations over Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium and the future of its nuclear programme.
Despite the diplomatic breakthrough, significant questions remain unresolved. AP reported that Iran continues to insist on retaining its enriched uranium stockpile, while the United States has sought its removal as part of a broader settlement.
