Trump Threatens to Bomb Iran's 'Pickaxe Mountain' Nuclear Site; Experts Say U.S. Strongest Bomb May Fail to Penetrate

U.S.-Iran War Key News

(Taipei, Washington, 13th – comprehensive international news) U.S. President Donald Trump said today that the United States might soon attack Iran's 'Pickaxe Mountain' (Pickaxe Mountain), warning that Washington will continue to strike Iran.

According to reports from Reuters, AFP, and The Hill, Trump said in an interview with the 'Hugh Hewitt Show': 'We are ready to destroy Pickaxe Mountain. Please tell the Iranians to prepare.'

He added: 'We are closely monitoring Pickaxe Mountain. There is currently no activity there. Their nuclear weapons development is not going well. Every time we hear about it, we strike them, so they don't want to talk about it. But we may soon take action against Pickaxe Mountain.'

Pickaxe Mountain is located near Natanz and is a nuclear facility buried deep underground. Western intelligence agencies suspect Iran is building an undeclared uranium enrichment facility there; experts assess that the site lies beneath a granite layer, buried as deep as 2,000 feet (about 610 meters), making it difficult for even the most powerful bunker-buster bomb currently in the U.S. arsenal to penetrate.

Meanwhile, Trump also said earlier today that the United States will resume blocking Iran's maritime shipping in the Persian Gulf and guarantee the Strait of Hormuz remains open—but on the condition that fees will be charged.

On the 'Hugh Hewitt Show,' he said: 'Tonight we will launch a fierce attack on them, and tomorrow we will continue striking. They simply have no ability to retaliate.'

Despite various signs pointing to a bleak outlook, Trump said today that there remains a possibility the U.S. could reach an agreement with Iran to end the Middle East war.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office at the White House, Trump said: 'Yes, I think there's a possibility of an agreement.' He added: 'We contacted them two days ago, and they said, 'Oh, we can't sign this agreement; we need further negotiations.''

Earlier, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said the June memorandum of understanding, which serves as the basis for negotiations and the lifting of U.S. sanctions, is currently in 'crisis.'

Baqaei stated that if the U.S. does not abide by the agreement, Iran will also ignore its commitments. However, he added that Tehran is continuing talks with mediators from Qatar, Pakistan, and Oman to prevent further escalation.

Bader Al-Saif, deputy researcher at Chatham House, a London-based think tank, believes that escalating attacks will only delay the achievement of a permanent agreement.

He said: 'Both sides want to break the deadlock on their own terms, but it's becoming increasingly difficult to achieve, so they're reverting to confrontation and expanding the scale of attacks.' (Translation: Tsai Chia-min) 1150714

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