US President Donald Trump on Tuesday publicly downplayed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's reported offer to share intelligence on Iran's nuclear activities, saying Washington does not need Israel to assess developments at Tehran's underground nuclear facilities.
Speaking to Fox News ahead of a scheduled meeting with Netanyahu in Washington, Trump dismissed suggestions that Israeli intelligence was driving US policy on Iran.
"I don't need Bibi to tell me that. Bibi is telling me that because he wants me to stay involved," Trump said, using Netanyahu's nickname and signalling that the US has its own independent intelligence capabilities.
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The remarks come amid reports that Netanyahu planned to brief Trump on Iranian activity at the heavily fortified Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site, which has become a growing focus of Western concerns.
Trump, however, insisted the US was already closely monitoring the facility and knew "exactly what's going on" there.
Reiterating his hardline stance on Tehran, Trump warned that the US would not hesitate to strike the underground nuclear site if ongoing negotiations failed.
"We took out their nuclear sites, and we'll have to take out Pickaxe if we don't make a deal. If we don't make a deal, we'll take it out very easily," he said.
Trump also appeared to criticise Netanyahu over reports suggesting Israeli officials had publicly discussed intelligence related to Iran's nuclear activities.
"I heard Bibi announce that. I said, why didn't you just tell me? Why'd you have to announce it to the world?" Trump said, although there has been no public statement from Netanyahu specifically disclosing intelligence on the Pickaxe Mountain facility.
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The comments underscore Trump's attempt to project US strategic autonomy on Iran while signalling that Washington will determine its own course, irrespective of Israeli assessments.
They also come as the 60-day US-Iran diplomatic timeline approaches its conclusion, with the Trump-Netanyahu meeting expected to shape the next phase of negotiations and the broader regional security outlook.
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