Trump rebukes Netanyahu ahead of Oval Office meeting, says ‘I know exactly what’s going on’ at Pickaxe Mountain nuke site
WASHINGTON — President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met behind closed doors at the White House Tuesday to discuss the next steps in their five-month-old conflict with Iran.
Ahead of their sitdown, Trump publicly rebuked Netanyahu during a TV interview after The Post reported that the leader of the Jewish state was expected to present evidence that Iran is pursuing nuclear technology at its subterranean Pickaxe Mountain site.
But, despite the prickly statement, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the nearly 90-minute Oval Office sitdown was “positive and productive.”
President Trump publicly rebuked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Tuesday. REUTERS
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the White House for a meeting with US President Donald Trump on July 28, 2026. Jemal Countess/UPI/Shutterstock
Netanyahu arrived and departed via a side entrance to the West Wing, avoiding questions from the media. Also present on the US side were Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and chief of staff Susie Wiles.
Trump reacted harshly Tuesday morning when asked about the Israeli leader’s visit and his plans to share information about 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 told “Fox & Friends” when asked about the expectation Netanyahu will bring up Pickaxe Mountain ahead of an Oval Office meeting.
“We know exactly what’s going on. But no, I heard Bibi announce that. I said, ‘Why don’t you just tell it to me? Why do you have to announce it to the world?’” the president went on.
“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 cited satellite technology being used by the US to study the site, located about 120 miles south of Tehran.
Debate intensifies as President Donald Trump announces that Pickaxe Mountain, which is alleged to house an underground Iranian nuclear facility, will be targeted. Anadolu via Getty Images
Israel has intelligence indicating that Iran has moved nuclear centrifuges to the complex some 300 feet beneath the Kolang Mountain, not far from the Natanz nuclear facility, which the US bombed in June 2025.
Underpinning Netanyahu’s expected briefing to Trump are concerns that Iran is not negotiating in good faith with the US, The Post previously reported.
The Israeli leader is also expected to present evidence that Iran has been rapidly rebuilding its missile capabilities after joint attacks on the Islamic Republic earlier this year.
Donald Trump meets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday. Anadolu via Getty Images
Last week, Trump was reportedly mulling a major escalation in the military campaign against Iran, which resumed earlier this month for nearly two weeks after repeated attacks by Tehran on ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
The president abruptly paused the strikes July 24 after talks began to rekindle. Iran initially denied being in direct talks with the US, but Trump insists they are ongoing and have been “good talks.”
“For some reason, we can be in the midst of a beautiful discussion, and they’ll come out and say ‘We’re not talking or we didn’t discuss nuclear.’ Well, that’s all we discussed because they’ll never have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “They understand that, and we have had some very good talks.”
Trump listens as Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during an event. AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Despite previously threatening to attack bridges and power plants in Iran, Trump signaled that he is very uneasy about ever ordering strikes on civilian infrastructure.
“If they don’t make a deal, then I go back, and I finish the job. But that’s going to take them forever to rebuild,” the president riffed. “I could take out most of their bridges in less than an hour, less than an hour.”
“It really decimates a country. So those are the big things. And then there’s always the desalination plants, and who am I hurting there? I’m hurting the people, so I’m not looking to do that. I just want, very simply, they cannot have a nuclear weapon.”
Trump’s dig at Netanyahu comes amid mounting tensions between the two leaders over Iran and other Middle East issues.
Netanyahu is visiting Washington, DC, to attend a Tuesday afternoon memorial service for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC).
