Trump's New Target in Iran: Pickaxe Mountain

President Trump says Washington has a new target in Iran: Pickaxe Mountain. In a Monday interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, the president said the US is "going to take out Pickaxe Mountain" and warned Iranian leaders to "be ready," while vowing continued strikes, per Reuters. Pickaxe Mountain, near the damaged Natanz nuclear facility in the Zagros Mountains, is believed by experts to house two deep tunnel complexes beneath some 2,000 feet of granite, designed to withstand US bunker-buster bombs, per the Hill.

Intelligence agencies suspect Iran is building an undeclared uranium-enrichment facility deep inside the mountain, though Tehran maintains the site is used only for assembling advanced centrifuges, per Al Jazeera. Trump said Washington was closely monitoring the site, with "no activity" apparent, but would "probably give Pickaxe a shot relatively soon." He claimed Iran's nuclear program is struggling, saying that "every time we hear about it, we blow it up, so they don't like talking about it." Earlier the same day, Trump said the US was restoring a blockade on Iranian shipping in the Persian Gulf and pledged to keep the Strait of Hormuz open "for a fee" as missile and drone exchanges continue.