Donald Trump sharply rebuked Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, then pledged that the United States would destroy Iran’s remaining nuclear facility — a heavily fortified site hidden deep inside a mountain — if Tehran refuses to reach a deal. The President took issue with the Israeli prime minister after Netanyahu told reporters he planned to show Trump intelligence suggesting Iran is still advancing its nuclear ambitions at the location, widely referred to as Pickaxe Mountain. “Well, I don’t need Bibi to tell me that. Bibi is telling me that because he wants me to stay involved,” Trump said during a Fox News interview ahead of his Oval Office meeting with Netanyahu.
Trump rebukes Netanyahu over public grievances
Trump also made clear that he did not appreciate Netanyahu discussing the matter publicly, saying such concerns should be brought to him behind closed doors. “I heard BB announce that. I said, ‘Why didn’t you just tell it to me? Why do you have to announce it to the world?’” he said. The President then issued a direct warning to Iran, saying the mountain facility would be targeted if the regime does not agree to abandon its nuclear program and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. “I know exactly what’s going on at Pickaxe. It’s not a big problem. We took out their nuclear site, and we’ll have to take out Pickaxe if we don’t make a deal,” Trump added.
Netanyahu brings Iran tunnel intel to Trump
Pickaxe Mountain, known in Farsi as Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La, is believed to be an expanding tunnel network Iran has been digging into a mountainside near the Natanz enrichment complex. The site is reportedly buried so far underground that military analysts have questioned whether even the most powerful US bunker-busting weapons could penetrate it. Netanyahu is in Washington to attend the funeral of Senator Lindsey Graham, a prominent Republican voice and longtime supporter of Israel. The intelligence he is expected to share with Trump reportedly focuses on the transfer of centrifuges into the mountain complex, which Israel says occurred soon after the US and Iran signed their memorandum of understanding.
Iran denies nuclear activity at disputed site
Tehran has denied operating any nuclear facility at the location, echoing its response when US media first reported in 2025 that construction at the site appeared to be accelerating. Trump previously said Pickaxe Mountain was not struck during the war because there was insufficient evidence at the time that Iran was using it for nuclear activity. Still, the President told reporters last week that Iran may have moved centrifuges there, while arguing that the equipment would be irrelevant without uranium. The latest fighting erupted in early July after a ceasefire reached in mid-June broke down, with US airstrikes pausing on Friday after 13 straight nights of bombing.
Tensions erupt as attacks escalate
Iran effectively shut down the key Persian Gulf shipping route at the beginning of the conflict by attacking tankers and cargo vessels, causing daily traffic through the waterway to drop by about 70 percent as oil prices surged toward $100 a barrel. In response, Trump ordered US forces to disable tankers headed for Kharg Island and warned that an Iranian bridge or power plant would be destroyed for every ship attacked. Tehran retaliated by sending attack drones and ballistic missiles toward American bases across the Middle East, killing at least four US service members.
