Trump Says U.S. May Strike Iran’s Fortified Pickaxe Mountain Nuclear Site ‘Pretty Soon’

CENTCOM says its latest strikes targeted Iranian command centers, missile launchers and maritime capabilities threatening the Strait of Hormuz

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief

WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – President Donald Trump warned Tuesday that the United States may soon strike Iran’s deeply buried Pickaxe Mountain complex amid reports that Tehran transferred thousands of uranium-enrichment centrifuges—and potentially part of its highly enriched uranium stockpile—to the secretive underground site.

Speaking alongside Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House, Trump acknowledged that the intelligence reports had not been publicly confirmed. Nevertheless, he made clear that Washington would not permit Iran to rebuild its nuclear infrastructure beyond the reach of inspectors or American forces.

“We’ll be hitting that area probably pretty soon, and there’s not a thing they can do about it,” Trump said.

“They’re trying to possibly reconstitute a site,” the president added. “We’ll hit that site. Any site where they’ve been thinking about nuclear, we’ll be hitting it very powerfully.”

Trump said the United States continues to monitor Iran’s known enriched-uranium stockpiles, which Washington maintains remain trapped beneath facilities damaged during American strikes last year.

CENTCOM Completes Latest Strike Wave

Trump’s warning came as U.S. Central Command announced that American forces had completed another round of strikes against Iran at 9 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday.

CENTCOM said the attacks struck Iranian military command centers, air-defense systems, maritime capabilities, and missile and drone launch sites. The operation was intended to reduce Tehran’s ability to attack civilian shipping moving through the Strait of Hormuz.

The command reported that approximately 900 commercial vessels carrying an estimated 450 million barrels of crude oil have passed through the strategic waterway with American assistance since early May.

“American forces remain postured and prepared to hold Iran accountable for unwarranted aggression toward civilian mariners seeking to freely and openly transit the strait,” CENTCOM said.

The latest operation followed nine consecutive evenings of American strikes. CENTCOM said the earlier campaign targeted Iranian command facilities, coastal-surveillance positions, communications networks, air defenses, missile launchers and maritime forces.

Trump Says Iran Is Seeking Talks

Trump said Iran is privately seeking negotiations because its military infrastructure is being “decimated,” but he indicated that Washington would not accept talks merely intended to delay further American action.

“They want to meet desperately to try to end it,” Trump said, while adding that the United States would wait until Tehran was prepared to negotiate “in a meaningful way.”

The confrontation has centered partly on control of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy corridors. Washington has demanded unrestricted navigation, while Iran has continued threatening or targeting commercial vessels attempting to pass through the waterway.

Trump declined to provide a timetable for ending the American campaign.

“We’re not finished at all,” he said. “We’re not leaving right now.”

American Casualties Raise Stakes

The escalating confrontation has already resulted in American casualties.

CENTCOM confirmed Sunday that two U.S. service members were killed and another was reported missing following an Iranian attack in Jordan on July 17. Unidentified remains were subsequently recovered and were undergoing examination.

A separate American service member was killed in northern Iraq on July 18 during the controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian attack drone. Another service member suffered a minor injury.

Trump acknowledged that Iran had managed to “slip something through” in Jordan, but insisted that the broader American campaign was destroying Iranian military capabilities at an unprecedented level.

The president also dismissed concerns that Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen might open another front by attempting to shut down Red Sea shipping. Trump said the United States remained capable of responding forcefully should the group enter the conflict.

Israel Weighs Risks of Wider Campaign

Israeli leaders are reportedly considering how Jerusalem should respond if Washington broadens the campaign against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

Israel’s concern is not merely whether it should participate, but whether American pressure could halt an Israeli operation before its objectives are completed. Israeli officials have reportedly warned against entering another major confrontation only to face demands for a ceasefire after several days.

For now, Pickaxe Mountain remains untouched. But Trump’s comments—and CENTCOM’s continuing campaign against Iran’s military network—suggest that the fortified complex may no longer be considered beyond reach.

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