Benjamin Netanyahu: Mojtaba Khamenei has moved toward nuclear weapons again

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, at a graduation ceremony for Israeli army officers at the Bahad 1 officers' school in the south of the country, that the Islamic Republic has still not learned its lesson from the blows of the war and that Mojtaba Khamenei, the Islamic Republic's leader, has followed his father's path and taken off the "safety catch". According to him, Tehran is once again trying to build nuclear weapons.

Netanyahu added that the only way to remove this threat for good is to topple the Islamic Republic, and that this is the order he has given to the army, the Mossad and all of Israel's security agencies; an order he had announced before and which DIAR covered in its earlier report on the order to topple the Islamic Republic.

Israel Katz's warning about an attack before the election

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said at the same ceremony that Israel has identified attempts by the Islamic Republic and its proxy groups to carry out attacks aimed at influencing the result of next week's Israeli election. He said the Islamic Republic is at the weakest point in its history and that this very weakness could push it toward "the most extreme measures", including against Israel.

Katz warned that anyone who attacks Israel before or after the election will pay a heavy price, and that Israel is ready to strike "with full force". He said that if the Islamic Republic attacks Israel, Iran "will burn".

Netanyahu's television interview: 90 percent of the job is done

In an interview with Israel's Channel 14 on the same day, Netanyahu said the two remaining years of Donald Trump's presidency are an opportunity to end the Islamic Republic's axis and that this can only be done with US cooperation. He said earlier US and Israeli strikes had severely weakened the Islamic Republic's nuclear programme, but that its leaders would try to rebuild it as long as they remain in power. According to him, "90 percent of the job" has been done, but finishing it requires 100 percent.

The Israeli prime minister also said his country will no longer wait for its enemies to build up the capacity to attack and will launch pre-emptive strikes when necessary.

Background: an attack that was halted

These remarks come a week before Israel's election on 27 October, while, according to published reports, Netanyahu had prepared a multi-day attack on the Islamic Republic for early October that was halted by Donald Trump's opposition. At the same time, Israeli fighter jets have flown toward Iran over Iraq and Syria in night-time exercises, and Israeli officials do not rule out a resumption of the war with the Islamic Republic.

On the same day, Netanyahu and Katz both called the toppling of the Islamic Republic Israel's official goal and warned of an attack by it before the election.