President Donald Trump praised Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel as a “war hero” for ordering his country’s forces to bombard Iran’s nuclear sites — and then said that the same label should apply to himself.

In an interview aired Tuesday with Mark Levin, the conservative talk show host and author who is a prominent supporter of the president, Trump described Netanyahu as a “good man.” His words echoed the mood of self-congratulation over the strikes on Iran when the two leaders met at the White House in July.

“He’s a war hero, because we work together. He’s a war hero,” Trump said of the Israeli leader. “I guess I am too,” he added.

Israel in mid-June launched waves of airstrikes against Iran, hitting important nuclear facilities in Natanz and Isfahan. It killed much of the country’s military chain of command along with several nuclear scientists. Then, on June 22, the United States used large bombs to strike the Iranian nuclear site at Fordo, which is buried under a mountain.

A recent U.S. assessment described Fordo as badly damaged, although it is difficult to precisely gauge the extent without access to the site.

During the interview, Trump also took credit for the return of hostages held in the Gaza Strip who have been freed since his election victory in November.

Hamas freed around 30 hostages during a ceasefire that began just before Trump’s inauguration in January, and another captive was released in May on the eve of the president’s visit to the Middle East.

They were among 240 hostages taken during the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that set off the war in Gaza. About 105 hostages were freed during an earlier ceasefire, while Joe Biden was president.

“I’m the one that got all the hostages back,” Trump said.

The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, Israel’s former defense minister, in November 2024, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel has rejected the accusations, and the State Department in June imposed sanctions on four of the court’s judges in response to the warrants.

Since taking office in January, Trump has frequently taken credit for resolving conflicts including those between Rwanda and Congo, between India and Pakistan, and between Thailand and Cambodia. He also announced the ceasefire between Iran and Israel that ended the nearly two weeks of back-and-forth strikes in June.

In the interview with Levin, Trump said: “I’ve settled six wars, and we did Iran, and I wiped out their total nuclear capability, which they would have used against Israel in two seconds if they had the chance.” He compared that record favorably with those of his Democratic predecessors.

Iran has long said that its nuclear program is intended for peaceful purposes. Though its ability to enrich uranium, which is needed for a nuclear weapon, was set back significantly by the U.S. and Israeli attacks, some experts believe Iran could eventually resume enrichment at other sites.

In response to the interview, Iran’s Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with the country’s Revolutionary Guard, on Wednesday described Trump’s remarks on Iran as “incoherent.”

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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Matthew Mpoke Bigg/Haiyun Jiang
c. 2025 The New York Times Company