WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump declared Monday that the United States intends to strike Pickaxe Mountain inside Iran, issuing a direct warning to Tehran that American military pressure will not let up.
Speaking during an appearance on the Hugh Hewitt Show, Trump said bluntly, “We’re going to take out Pickaxe Mountain. Tell the Iranians to be ready.”
Trump went on to describe the site as something the U.S. is actively monitoring, adding that Iranian nuclear efforts continue to suffer setbacks. “We’re watching (Pickaxe Mountain) closely. We see no activity there. They’re not doing well with their nuclear situation. Every time we hear about it, we blow it up. So they don’t like talking about it. But we’ll probably give Pickaxe a shot relatively soon,” he said.
Pickaxe Mountain sits near Iran’s heavily damaged Natanz uranium enrichment facility. The site is considered heavily fortified, featuring two deeply buried tunnel complexes that military experts say are beyond the destructive reach of even the most powerful bunker-busting bombs currently in the U.S. military’s arsenal.
Earlier in the day, Trump also announced that the United States is reimposing a blockade on Iranian shipping in the Gulf and pledged to keep the Strait of Hormuz open — though he indicated there would be a cost for passage — following an exchange of missile and drone attacks between the two countries.
Trump did not hold back when describing what Iran could expect in the coming hours. “We’re going to hit them very hard tonight and we’re going to hit them hard tomorrow. And there’s not a damn thing they can do about it,” he said during the same radio interview.
