Trump Threatens Strike on Pickaxe Mountain Amid Iranian Attacks

President Donald Trump announced that U.S. forces may soon attack Pickaxe Mountain, a heavily fortified nuclear site in the Zagros mountains near Natanz. Using Space Force surveillance, the U.S. is monitoring the facility, which is suspected of being a covert uranium enrichment site buried up to 600 meters underground. Trump stated that any movement at the site would trigger an immediate strike, asserting that American bunker-buster bombs can penetrate the complex.

These threats coincided with a broader military escalation. U.S. Central Command conducted three consecutive nights of precision strikes against Iranian coastal-defense systems and naval capabilities in Bushehr, Bandar Abbas, and Kish Island. Trump further announced a blockade of Iranian ports and a 20% fee on all cargo transiting the Strait of Hormuz. In response, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched missiles and drones at U.S. military facilities in Bahrain and Jordan, as well as sites in Kuwait and Oman.

While Trump indicated that a diplomatic deal remains possible, the Iranian Foreign Ministry stated the June memorandum of understanding is in crisis. Iran maintains its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, though United Nations inspectors have been denied full access to Pickaxe Mountain. Trump also referenced the Taleghan facility near Tehran, noting that satellite imagery showed Iran attempting to seal the site with concrete to prevent U.S. access.