Ex-Mossad chief confirms Iran nuclear sites obliterated, has warning for Tehran

Exclusive: Former Mossad director Yossi Cohen confirmed that the joint operation coordinated by the United States and Israel “obliterated” Iranian nuclear sitesIt halted uranium enrichment and warned that Israel “could come back again” if Tehran resumes its nuclear program.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Shurat HaDin conference at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City this week, Cohen, who led Israel’s intelligence agency until 2021, described the operation as a turning point for Israel’s security and the region’s diplomatic future.

“For many years, everyone knew that Iran Recalling his years as a Mossad agent, he said: “He was our first agent – and my personal client. That was the nation and the stop in our workflow because of the threat Iran posed to Israel.”

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Former Mossad Director Yossi Cohen and Shurat Hadin Nitzana Darshan-Leitner attend an event on October 28, 2025. (Ahad Kaab)

He added: “Since June 2025, Iran has been in a different situation.” “I can fully accept the president’s description that Iran’s nuclear sites have been obliterated. I know for certain that Iran is not enriching uranium these days, which is a great achievement. What’s more, Iran knows two things: first, that we can, and have done it – with the United States, in beautiful cooperation and coordination. And second, which is even more important – we can come back again.”

Cohen praised the Trump administration for its secret coordination with Israel, Mossad and the Israeli army that enabled the joint strike.

Map of US strikes on Iran. (Fox News)

He said: “We destroyed their air defense systems, their Revolutionary Guard sites, and pursued their dirty terrorists in their bedrooms and beds inside Tehran and other cities.” “We are devastated Nuclear installations Who were threatening the State of Israel to the level of an existential threat – and they know we did a beautiful job there.”

The day Israel stole Iran’s nuclear archive

In his newly published book, “The Sword of Freedom,” Cohen — who has worked directly for three US presidents — recalls how President Obama warned in 2015 that the Iran nuclear deal was dangerous.

“I told him it was too risky,” Cohen writes. “Yossi, you are so wrong,” he said.

He says that conversation was a scene repeated later with the president Donald Trump. “When Trump took office in 2016, I told him that the deal was ‘terribly wrong’ in principle and practice. ‘You’re absolutely right,’ he replied. “It’s the worst deal ever.”

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu displays material on Iran’s nuclear weapons development during a press conference in Tel Aviv, April 2018. Netanyahu says his government has obtained “half a ton” of secret Iranian documents proving that Tehran’s government once had a nuclear weapons program. Netanyahu called it a “great intelligence achievement” and said on Monday that the documents show that Iran lied about its nuclear ambitions before signing the 2015 deal with world powers. (Sebastian Scheiner/AP)

“We love it when the weather is harsh – when everyone stays home.”

Cohen said the key turning point was the 2018 Mossad operation to steal Iran’s nuclear archive — a mission that ultimately influenced the US decision to withdraw from the deal.

On January 31, 2018, Cohen watched a live video feed showing a 25-member Mossad squad infiltrating Tehran on a cold, snowy night. “At Mossad, we like it when the weather is harsh — when everyone stays home,” he said with a smile.

That night, agents stole 55,000 pages of classified documents and 183 CDs, and smuggled them into Israel — “not via UPS,” Cohen joked. The materials revealed that while Iran was negotiating with the United States and world powers, it was continuing its negotiations in secret Nuclear weapons a job.

The hostage deal and the “day after” in Gaza

Cohen also spoke about the hostage deal recently brokered by the Trump administration.

“I can’t thank them enough, along with our allies in the Middle East,” he said. He added, “All living hostages are free, and I hope to receive the remaining bodies soon, as Hamas pledged.”

People wave Israeli and American flags in Hostage Square during a march in support of hostages and missing families following the peace agreement between Israel and Hamas. (Dana Rainey/Missing Hostages and Families Forum)

He expressed optimism that the end of the war in Gaza could mark the beginning of a new diplomatic era.

“From now on, we will see a better Middle East when this war practically ends,” he said. “Maybe the rebuilding of our relations in the region will begin again.”

“More peace treaties to come”

Cohen expected renewed normalization efforts to extend further Abraham AccordsWhich he helped establish during his tenure as head of the Mossad.

He added: “This will not be limited to the Saudis only.” “I know there are some rumors about Indonesia, and of course I cherish that, and I expect other countries to come and sign peace treaties with the State of Israel.”

He pointed out that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is expected to visit Washington soon, describing it as “an important visit not only for him, but for us in the region.”

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Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appeared in the photo sitting next to a senior military official in Iran. (Getty Images)

He added: “In the spirit of the American president now and his beautiful team – Steve Witkopf, Jared Kushner, Marco Rubio and others, I expect to see more peace treaties in the future.”

The Iranian regime and the road ahead

At the Shurat HaDin conference, Cohen also said he believes the overthrow of the Iranian regime is possible, although it could take years.

He added: “The Iranian people are suffering under a cruel regime. Anyone who dares to protest will be hanged or shot.” “But I think the time has come, and if the world supports it, it will happen.”

Shurat Hadin Nitsana Darshan Leitner, who hosted the event, warned of the ongoing political and legal threats facing Israel.

She added: “The war is not over yet.” “Political threats to establish a Palestinian state alongside Israel are aggressive International Criminal Courtare driving an unprecedented rise in anti-Israel sentiment and anti-Semitism. We must unite all forces working on this issue to fight back – on the battlefield, in the courts, and in the arena of global public opinion.

Could Cohen one day replace Netanyahu as prime minister?

An archive photo taken at the Israeli Foreign Ministry on October 15, 2015, shows Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) sitting next to Yossi Cohen, who currently serves as head of Israel’s National Security Council, and whom Netanyahu appointed as the 12th head of the Mossad intelligence service in December. November 7, 2015. (Gali Tibon/AFP via Getty Images)

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Cohen also addressed speculation about his political ambitions as a successor to the prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu 2018 hints that he could be his successor one day.

He added: “I will not go into politics now.” “We still have a very long way to go before I enter the world of politics. I think the Israeli situation today is relatively stable, and no one is going anywhere. Next year we will definitely have elections, and I don’t think I will participate in them.”

However, he did not rule out future interference in Israel’s foreign affairs.

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He said: “I would like to do whatever it takes to support Israel’s relations at the international level.” “We need better, good agreements with as many countries as possible.”