Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Leiter stated that Israel will continue its campaign against Iran until the regime is brought to its knees, following Iranian missile strikes on Israel. In a CNN interview, Leiter highlighted Iran's attempted ballistic missile attack on the U.S.-U.K. base at Diego Garcia and accused Iran of lying about its ICBM capabilities.
On Sunday, March 22, 2026, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Leiter appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union” with Dana Bash to discuss recent Iranian missile actions. This followed Iranian ballistic missile strikes on Israel the previous evening, targeting areas including Arad and Dimona. Israel’s emergency response service declared a mass casualty event, with Leiter reporting “a number of fatalities” and more than 150 injuries from the attacks that caused significant damage. Bash sought an update on casualties and Israel’s expected response. Leiter replied, “The response is going to be to continue with this campaign until we bring this regime to its knees. We cannot live anymore with a country that is malign, that has intent on destroying us, that declares it’s going to destroy us all the time, and is now firing ballistic missiles into all of its neighbors. This has to stop.” Bash questioned the Iranian ICBM launch toward Diego Garcia—a joint U.S.-U.K. military base in the Indian Ocean over 2,000 miles from Iran—noting it contradicted claims by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump that Iranian missiles had been obliterated. Leiter responded that the launch proves Iran lies: “The Iranian regime lie. These are murderers who lie. It shouldn’t surprise us — and they said they don’t have intercontinental ballistic missiles. Well, now they prove that they do have them. Not only do they have them; they’re willing to shoot them.” He added, “They claimed, until now, there was no such thing as an ICBM in Iran. They didn’t develop them.” Leiter raised concerns about the missiles’ potential range exceeding 4,000 miles to reach U.S. cities, possibly tipped with nuclear warheads, as Iran had planned. He acknowledged temporarily higher gas prices due to the conflict but emphasized prioritizing lives over economic issues.
