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Iran live updates: Trump criticizes Netanyahu over Israeli intel on Pickaxe Mountain

The US and Iran are locked in a standoff over the Strait of Hormuz.

Last Updated: July 28, 2026, 1:09 PM EDT

President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites.

Delegations from the U.S. and Iran entered negotiations in June aimed at a war-ending deal based on a memorandum of understanding signed by both countries.

The U.S. and Iran have nonetheless continued to exchange strikes, with the strategic Strait of Hormuz the primary flashpoint.

9:48 AM EDT

Trump criticizes Netanyahu over Israeli Pickaxe Mountain intel

President Donald Trump on Tuesday morning reiterated his threats to strike Iran's critical infrastructure and criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a phone interview with Fox and Friends.

Trump is set to meet with Netanyahu in the Oval Office at 11 a.m. ET. The president criticized Netanyahu over media reports suggesting Netanyahu planned to discuss Israeli intelligence about potential Iranian excavation at Pickaxe Mountain, which lies one mile south of the Natanz nuclear enrichment complex near Isfahan.

"Well, I don't need Bibi to tell me that. Bibi is telling me that because he wants me to stay involved," Trump said.

"I heard Bibi announced that. I said, why don't you just tell it to me? Why do you have to announce it to the world? I know exactly what's going on at Pickaxe. It's not a big problem. We took out their nuclear sites and we'll have to take out Pickaxe if we don't make a deal," Trump added.

The president also again said that the U.S. and Iran were still talking -- something the Iranians have dismissed. But the president refused to address questions about who exactly the administration was speaking to in Iran.

"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," he said.

The president again floated strikes on Iran's power plants, bridges and desalination plants -- a threat he has previously walked back.

"I would say in two hours. Most of the bridges, the major bridges will all be gone. And the power plants in one day. And, you know, if I can avoid doing that, I'd like to do that," Trump said, giving a timeline for how long he said it would take for the U.S. to accomplish such an objective.

"And then there's always the desalinization plants. And who am I hurting there? I'm hurting the people. So I'm not looking to do that," he added.

Trump also acknowledged "a lot of competing factions" within the GOP on Iran. He said, "I have many Republicans that want me to keep going," while another group "says, this is actually a good time to make a deal for them," he added.

Trump later dismissed the war as a "little situation" and sought to assuage fears over the economic impact of the war. "This is going to be better soon as this little situation gets worked out. I believe it's going to be better. It already is better," he said.

-ABC News' Nicholas Kerr

3:54 AM EDT

IDF intercepts drone along border with Jordan

The Israel Defense Forces said on Tuesday morning that the Israeli Air Force intercepted “an unmanned aircraft that was identified at the Jordan border.”

“The aircraft did not cross into the country's territory; the launch origin is under investigation,” the IDF said in a post to X.

3:43 AM EDT

Jordan shoots down drone, state media says

Jordan's official Petra news agency said the country's armed forces shot down a drone that breached Jordanian airspace early on Tuesday.

The drone was shot down in an eastern desert area inside Jordanian territory, the agency said, citing a military spokesperson.

3:38 AM EDT

Next round of US-led Israel-Lebanon talks set for Rome, official says

A State Department official told ABC News on Monday that the next round of U.S.-brokered talks between Israeli and Lebanese officials will take place in Rome from Aug. 4 to 6.

The official said the next round will begin "with significant momentum."

The official cited last week's launch of a pilot scheme under which Israeli forces will withdraw from three south Lebanon villages to allow the Lebanese Armed Forces to deploy there and clear the areas of Hezbollah presence and weapons. Israeli forces withdrew from the scheme's first village last week.

The official also noted the "productive meeting" between President Donald Trump and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House last week.

Lebanese Armed Forces troops patrol the village of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh in southern Lebanon on July 26, 2026.
Mahmoud Zayyat/AFP via Getty Images

During the planned Rome talks, the official said, "technical groups will focus on advancing the full implementation of the framework agreement. That includes expanding the pilot zone process, resolving all outstanding border issues, and working on a comprehensive peace and security agreement."

"The first pilot zone is a concrete opportunity to deliver real progress on the ground, restoring Lebanese state authority through the verifiable disarmament of terrorist organizations and building the confidence needed for next steps," they added.

"The experience of the initial zones will help us perfect pilot zone implementation so it can expand in a phased manner," the official said.

The trilateral U.S.-Israel-Lebanon framework, the official said, "is the only path to lasting peace. Fully implementing it is in the clear interest of both countries, and the Trump administration is committed to its success."

-ABC News' Shannon K. Kingston

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