Donald Trump just made his boldest threat yet in the escalating Iran conflict. The U.S. president revealed plans to target a heavily fortified Iranian site as military tensions continue to rise.
Pickaxe Mountain becomes the latest flashpoint in Donald Trump’s escalating Iran campaign
President Donald Trump told the Hugh Hewitt Show on Monday that the U.S. would target Pickaxe Mountain in Iran, Reuters reports. “We’re going to take out Pickaxe Mountain. Tell the Iranians to be ready,” Trump said during the interview. The statement marks a significant escalation in Washington’s ongoing military campaign against Tehran.
Pickaxe Mountain sits near Iran’s heavily damaged Natanz uranium enrichment facility. The site hosts two deeply buried tunnel complexes within a heavily fortified mountain. Experts assess the tunnels as beyond the reach of the most powerful bunker-buster bombs in the U.S. arsenal.
Trump also suggested military action against the site could come soon. “We’re watching (Pickaxe Mountain) closely. We see no activity there,” he said. “They’re not doing well with their nuclear situation. Every time we hear about it, we blow it up.” He added that the U.S. would “probably give Pickaxe a shot relatively soon.”
Beyond Pickaxe Mountain, Trump signaled broader military pressure on Iran. “We’re going to hit them very hard tonight, and we’re going to hit them hard tomorrow,” he said. He also declared, “And there’s not a damn thing they can do about it.”
Meanwhile, Trump announced the reinstatement of a U.S. blockade on Iranian shipping in the Gulf. He also stated the U.S. would ensure the Strait of Hormuz stays open for a fee. The moves follow recent exchanges of missile and drone attacks between both sides.
Separately, the UAE reported that Iranian missiles struck oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. The attacks killed one sailor. Hormuz traffic has also slowed to a two-month low as renewed strikes raise safety concerns for commercial shipping in the region.
