Donald Trump Warns US May Strike Iran's Fortified Pickaxe Mountain...
United States President Donald Trump issued an explicit warning that American forces may strike Iran's heavily fortified underground nuclear complex...
By GT24x7 Correspondents··GlobalToday24x7
United States President Donald Trump signaled on Friday, September 4, 2026, that the American military could launch strikes against Iran's heavily fortified underground nuclear facility known as Pickaxe Mountain "very soon" if any illicit nuclear activities are detected at the site. Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office, Trump defended the ongoing five-to-six-month campaign against Tehran, insisting that Washington's primary strategic goal remains permanently denying Iran the capability to develop or deploy a nuclear weapon.
Pickaxe Mountain—known domestically in Iran as Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La—is situated adjacent to the heavily degraded Natanz uranium enrichment complex. Carved deep beneath solid granite rock formations, the facility houses two deeply buried tunnel networks engineered to withstand conventional aerial bombardments. Trump stated that US intelligence assets, bolstered by US Space Force surveillance capabilities, maintain continuous real-time reconnaissance over all logistical traffic across the subterranean perimeter.
Escalating Tensions and Divergent Military Rhetoric
The prospective escalation against Iran's subterranean infrastructure highlights mounting friction across the Middle East:
* Subterranean Surveillance and Strike Threats: President Trump asserted that the Pentagon is tracking movement across Iran, warning that any hostile maneuvering at Pickaxe Mountain would invite immediate, severe retaliatory bombardment.
* Downplaying the Scale of Engagement: When questioned regarding Vice President JD Vance’s refusal to characterize the confrontation as an official war, Trump downplayed the six-month hostilities, describing the military engagements as "small potatoes" and asserting US operational control over strategic waterways.
* Iran Affirms Confrontation Preparedness: In Tehran, Iranian Air Defence Commander Brigadier-General Alireza Elhami responded firmly, declaring that Iranian armed forces remain fully prepared for confrontation across all operational theaters, maintaining that regional threats have not dissipated.
* Maritime Blockades and Ground Deadlock: The six-month conflict has reached an uneasy stalemate, claiming the lives of 18 US service members and thousands of Iranians, alongside continued disruptions to commercial navigation along the critical Strait of Hormuz.
Military experts note that a direct aerial assault on Pickaxe Mountain would represent a significant escalation in American operations, potentially requiring massive ordnance penetrators to collapse access portals and auxiliary ventilation infrastructure.