Jakarta, ThedailyID — US President Donald Trump criticised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for publicly raising concerns about Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain, saying the sensitive issue should have been discussed privately rather than in public.
Netanyahu recently suggested that Iran may have moved or concealed parts of its nuclear programme beneath Pickaxe Mountain. However, Iranian officials rejected the allegation.
Speaking on Fox & Friends a day before meeting Netanyahu at the White House, Trump questioned why the Israeli leader had chosen to make the matter public.
“I don’t need Bibi to tell me that,” Trump said, referring to Netanyahu by his nickname. “Why didn’t he just tell me? Why announce it to the whole world?”
Trump also suggested Netanyahu had made the comments to keep Washington engaged in the issue. Nevertheless, he indicated that he preferred sensitive intelligence to remain confidential.
The two leaders later met in the Oval Office on Tuesday, July 28, where they discussed several Middle East issues, including Iran.
After the meeting, Netanyahu described the talks as highly productive. He said both leaders shared the goal of preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu rejected suggestions that he was attempting to influence US policy on Iran. His office insisted that Israel was not directing or pressuring Washington over its approach to Tehran.
Netanyahu’s communications director, Tzipi Hotovely, also dismissed reports that Israel was trying to shape US foreign policy. Instead, she said both governments remained aligned on preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
