Trump Threatens Fresh Strikes on Iran's Pickaxe Mountain Amid Escalating Tensions

United States President Donald Trump has stated that Washington may strike Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain “very soon,” marking the latest threat against the heavily fortified underground nuclear site located near the bombed-out Natanz enrichment complex. Shortly after Trump's remarks, an Iranian oil tanker off Kharg Island was struck by four US missiles, according to the Iranian news outlet Khabar Fouri. Kharg Island serves as the primary hub for Iran’s oil exports, handling roughly 90 percent of shipments.

President Trump issued the warning while speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Friday, asserting that the US is tracking movement at Pickaxe Mountain and across Iran. This echoed previous comments made in mid-July when he stated on the Hugh Hewitt Show that the US intended to target the mountain. The renewed threats arrive more than six months into the conflict launched by the US and Israel against Iran on February 28, accompanied by mixed messaging from the Trump administration regarding the war's status.

While Trump downplayed the conflict as “small potatoes” on Friday, Vice President JD Vance suggested earlier in the week that the situation had cooled, describing the confrontation as something other than a war and noting there was “no active shooting right now.” Despite these statements, ongoing exchanges have included US strikes near Iran’s oil infrastructure. Meanwhile, nuclear negotiations remain stalled following the expiration of a 60-day negotiating window in mid-August without a resolution. Iran maintains that no work is currently taking place at the Natanz site, though its Khatam al-Anbiya central military headquarters warned that attacking the mountain would trigger a wider regional escalation.

Pickaxe Mountain, known in Iran as Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La, is situated approximately 220km south of Tehran in Isfahan province and just 2km from the Natanz plant. US intelligence indicates the facility is excavated deep beneath solid granite rock to withstand bunker-busting munitions, with main chambers located at least 100 metres underground. Although Western analysts speculate the site was intended as a hidden enrichment facility, the Institute for Science and International Security assesses that it remains under construction and non-operational. Iran continues to assert that its nuclear ambitions are exclusively peaceful.

Unlike other facilities impacted by previous strikes, Pickaxe Mountain remains largely intact. Following previous military actions in June 2025 and subsequent developments, analysts view the tunnels as a potential location for Iran to attempt rebuilding its centrifuge manufacturing or enrichment capabilities. Although the IAEA and various assessments indicate that Iran's active enrichment infrastructure has suffered severe damage and that its remaining stockpile of enriched uranium presents ongoing verification challenges, tensions surrounding Pickaxe Mountain continue to drive Washington's focus in the region.