by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Worthy News Jerusalem Bureau Staff
JERUSALEM / NEW YORK (Worthy News) – Former Mossad director Yossi Cohen said in an exclusive Fox News interview on Friday that Iran’s nuclear program had been “wiped out” following coordinated Israeli-American strikes earlier this year — a development he called a “turning point” for Israel’s security and regional diplomacy.
Cohen, who led Israel’s intelligence agency until 2021, confirmed that the operation “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear sites and halted uranium enrichment. “Iran is in a very different position,” he said. “They can no longer enrich uranium at present.”
Echoing earlier statements by former U.S. President Donald Trump, Cohen described the June strikes as “a great success,” saying they demonstrated both Israel’s capability and its willingness to act again. “We destroyed their air defenses, their Revolutionary Guard bases, and hunted them down even into their bedrooms in Tehran and other cities,” he said.
He added that the mission carried a clear message to Tehran: “We can, and we did — with the U.S., in beautiful cooperation and coordination. And we can come again.”
A Historic Operation and the “Beautiful Cooperation”
Speaking at the Shurat HaDin conference at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City, Cohen praised the Trump administration’s behind-the-scenes coordination with the IDF and Mossad that made the strikes possible.
Cohen detailed that the Israeli-American operation struck Iran’s Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan facilities — long suspected of enriching uranium toward weapons-grade levels. “We destroyed the nuclear facilities that were threatening the State of Israel up to the level of an existential threat,” he said.
The Long Shadow of the Iran Deal
Cohen’s comments come as he releases his new book The Sword of Freedom, in which he recounts years of high-stakes intelligence operations and diplomatic exchanges with three U.S. presidents.
He wrote that he warned President Barack Obama in 2015 that the Iran nuclear deal was “dangerous,” only to have the warning dismissed. When President Trump entered office, Cohen said the tone changed. “When Trump took office in 2016, I told him the deal was so wrong in principle and practice. He replied, ‘You’re so right. It’s the worst deal ever.'”
A pivotal moment, Cohen said, came in 2018 when a Mossad team infiltrated Tehran and stole 55,000 pages of classified documents and 183 compact discs detailing Iran’s secret nuclear weapons work. “In the Mossad, we love it when the weather is extreme — when everyone else stays indoors,” he recalled.
Gaza, Hostages, and Regional Peace
Cohen also addressed the U.S.-brokered hostage deal with Hamas, crediting American and regional allies for securing the release of all living hostages. “All living hostages are free, and I hope to receive the remaining bodies shortly,” he said.
He expressed optimism that the end of the war in Gaza could mark the beginning of “a better Middle East.” Citing the Abraham Accords as a model, he predicted new normalization deals ahead: “Not only will the Saudis be in line. I’m expecting other countries — even Indonesia — to come and sign peace treaties with the State of Israel.”
Cohen said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s upcoming visit to Washington was “important not only for him but for us in the region,” adding that “in the spirit of the American president and his beautiful team — Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, Marco Rubio, and others — I expect more peace treaties in the future.”
Tehran’s Defiance and the Road Ahead
In response to Cohen’s remarks, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told state media that Iran would rebuild its bombed nuclear facilities “with greater strength.” He said, “Destroying buildings and factories will not create a problem for us; we will rebuild and with greater strength.”
While the White House has said Iran’s ability to enrich uranium was “obliterated,” satellite imagery analyzed by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) shows renewed movement at Iranian nuclear sites.
IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi confirmed on October 29 that while Iran is not actively enriching uranium, it still holds stockpiles enriched up to 60 percent — enough to potentially produce 10 nuclear warheads if weaponized.
At the Shurat HaDin event, Cohen warned that “the Iranian people suffer under a cruel regime,” but expressed faith that “if the world supports it, regime change can happen.”
Shurat HaDin President Nitsana Darshan-Leitner concluded the event by warning of the continuing political and legal battles facing Israel. “The war is not yet over,” she said. “We must unite all forces — on the battlefield, in the courts, and in global opinion — to defend Israel’s right to exist and defend itself.”
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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