Mexico's Obrador accuses US of 'spying' on his govt

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has accused the Pentagon of spying on his government following leaks in US media, and said he would begin classifying information from the armed forces to protect national security.

His comments came on Tuesday, several days after the Washington Post reported on apparent tensions between Mexico's Navy and the Army, citing a US military briefing revealed in online leaks of secret US military records.

"We're now going to safeguard information from the Navy and the Defense Ministry, because we're being a target of spying by the Pentagon," Lopez Obrador told his daily news conference.

A Pentagon spokesperson said the US Department of Defense has a "strong collaborative defence partnership" with Mexico's Army and Navy, and that the entities tackle common challenges "while respecting each other's sovereignty and respective foreign policy agendas."

The Pentagon has previously called the leak a "deliberate, criminal act."

The Washington Post story said there was no indication the cited document came from intercepted communications of Mexican officials.

Lopez Obrador has come under pressure to hold the military accountable for years of alleged abuses, including reported disappearances and killings.

Even so, he has increased the army's role in public safety and sought to put the National Guard, a militarised police force, under Army control.

On Monday, Lopez Obrador had described the US intelligence in the leaks as an "abusive, overbearing intrusion that should not be accepted under any circumstance," adding that he did not plan to rebuke the US, but would at some point discuss "conditions for collaborative work."

When presented on Tuesday with new allegations of the use of controversial spyware Pegasus during his government, he reiterated that his administration does not spy.

Prominent Mexico-based rights group Centro Prodh on Tuesday said two of its staff had their phones targeted by Pegasus last year, according to an analysis by Toronto-based digital watchdog Citizen Lab, becoming the latest of several alleged cases of Pegasus used during Lopez Obrador's government.

READ MORE: Mexico president criticises US 'spying' after intelligence leak

No eye-to-eye

The Mexican president has been at loggerheads with the US in several issues recently.

He recently blamed the US for the fentanyl crisis, which causes about 70,000 deaths per year in the latter.

He doubled down on the topic multiple times, saying the "lack of hugs" and loss of family values is the cause of the opioid problem.

He also denounced the charges against former president Donald Trump, calling them a "smear campaign" used to hurt his 2024 election bid.

Lopez Obrador went on to lose the 2006 and 2012 presidential election — results he did not accept, alleging massive voter fraud.

READ MORE: Mexico, US agree to destroy fentanyl supply chain and new drug cartels