Benjamin Netanyahu is today expected to tell US President Donald Trump that Iran is lying about wanting peace – and is secretly building up its nuclear capabilities at a mysterious underground base called Pickaxe Mountain.
A source in Jerusalem told the New York Post that the Israeli Prime Minister’s team will provide evidence of Iran’s latest nuclear activity, and demonstrate that Tehran is “not currently negotiating in good faith”, when the two leaders meet in Washington on Tuesday afternoon.
At the White House meeting, due to start at 4pm UK time, the Israeli PM is also expected to set out a number of “red lines” for any dealings with Iran.
Pickaxe Mountain, which lies more than 300 feet beneath the Kolang Mountain near the Natanz nuclear facility, has long been suspected of being a part of Iran’s atomic programme.
The Wall Street Journal has previously reported that Israel has uncovered proof that nuclear centrifuges recently arrived at the secretive fortress where construction first started in 2020.
President Trump’s position on attacking Pickaxe Mountain has shifted in recent weeks.
Initially he downplayed the importance of complex, stating Pickaxe Mountain was left untouched during the war due to insufficient proof that the regime was using it to develop its nuclear programme.
But in a meeting last week with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, he stated that the US would be hitting the site "pretty soon."
On July 13, during an interview on the Hugh Hewitt show, he said: "We're going to take out Pickaxe Mountain. Tell the Iranians to be ready,"
According to the New York Post’s source, Israel will also provide evidence that Iran is already rebuilding its missile and drone programme which had been crippled by America’s repeated airstrikes.
Further reports in Israel claim Netanyahu’s most important “red line” during the Washington talks will be an insistence that any future agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme includes the removal of all enriched uranium from the country.
Speaking ahead of his flight to Washington, Netanyahu said: “We will discuss all the issues on the agenda, first and foremost, Iran.
“Naturally, our goal is to safeguard our security and also to expand the circle of peace around us.”
It is also claimed that Israeli officials believe the country must retain complete freedom of military action to counter threats from Iran as well as in Gaza, Syria and Lebanon, preserve its buffer zones along the Syrian and Lebanese borders, and maintain the Israel Defense Forces’ technological edge, amid concerns over a potential US sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey.
Security officials are also said to remain on high alert over the possibility that negotiations between Washington and Tehran could collapse, triggering a rapid deterioration in the region.
Netanyahu described the visit as “a great privilege” and “a great responsibility”, noting that it would be his eighth meeting with Trump since he began his second term, more than the US President has had with any other world leader.
He said. “I am embarking on this mission with one clear goal – to ensure the security, strength and future of the State of Israel.”
Following the talks, the Israeli PM is scheduled to attend the memorial service for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, a longtime supporter of Israel.
There will be further meetings in Washington tomorrow before he flies back to Israel.
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