Danon says Israel knows where Iran's leaders are hiding
The warning comes as Brent crude sits near $99 a barrel and Trump calls talks with Iran productive.
Published
Chart: USO, a fund that tracks crude, one-minute prices through the session
Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, said Tuesday that "we know where the leaders of Iran are hiding" and "what they are doing," adding that "if they attack Israel, it's only a matter of days until we get them."
The comment lands in the middle of active diplomacy. Steve Witkoff has met Iran's Abbas Araghchi, and Iran has set conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, among them lifting a naval blockade, releasing frozen assets and ending regional conflicts. Brent crude traded near $99 a barrel Tuesday, with President Trump calling the talks with Iran productive.
Tensions have not eased on other fronts. Trump has warned the United States may strike a site he calls Pickaxe Mountain, saying it may soon be too late to avoid it, though he has also said there is no current sign of activity there and that a conflict with Iran could end after the midterms or sooner. Iran's Revolutionary Guard has said it will defend itself if the US strikes the site. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said a nuclear-armed Iran could threaten to close the Strait of Hormuz. Separately, Iran's state news agency IRNA reported a blast heard near Iran's Qeshm Island.
Danon's language hardens at a moment when US officials are voicing optimism about deal momentum and scheduling further talks. That gap between Israel's rhetoric and Washington's diplomatic push cuts against the de-escalatory tone of recent days, and raises the risk that either side reads the other's statements as closing the window for negotiation rather than keeping it open.