Pickaxe Mountain exposes Trump-Netanyahu divide on Iran, experts say

A recent meeting between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu exposed a clear divide on how to address Iran's nuclear program, particularly concerning the "Pickaxe Mountain" site. Trump publicly questioned Netanyahu's decision to announce new intelligence about the site, stating, "I don't need Bibi to tell me that. Bibi is telling me that because he wants me to stay involved." Experts suggest Netanyahu's public disclosure aimed to signal that previous strikes had not resolved the nuclear threat and that he distrusts diplomatic agreements. However, this approach risked challenging the US intelligence community.

• Trump downplayed the site's immediate significance, calling it "not a big problem," while Netanyahu presented intelligence suggesting significant reconstruction efforts at the facility.
• The core disagreement lies in Trump's preference for diplomacy and Netanyahu's belief in the necessity of further military action.
• Professor Eytan Gilboa noted that while the US could damage the site, Iran's capacity to rebuild complicates any lasting military solution, which partly explains the White House's continued favor for negotiations.
• Attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner emphasized that Israel, while not legally bound by a US-Iran agreement it didn't sign, would be practically constrained by its dependence on Washington, limiting its leverage.