US President Donald Trump said on Friday the United States could strike Iran’s heavily fortified Pickaxe Mountain nuclear facility “very soon”, marking the sharpest escalation yet in the months-long military campaign against Tehran.
Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office, Trump warned that any detectable activity at the site would trigger a strike. “If anything goes bad, we hit them; we hit them hard,” he said. The comments went further than a similar threat he issued in mid-July, when he told the Hugh Hewitt Show: “We’re going to take out Pickaxe Mountain. Tell the Iranians to be ready. We’ll probably give Pickaxe a shot relatively soon.”
Pickaxe Mountain sits near Iran’s damaged Natanz uranium enrichment facility and houses two buried tunnel complexes designed to withstand conventional bombing. The site was built to survive strikes that have already destroyed above-ground structures at Natanz. Reaching it would require specialized bunker-busting munitions that US forces have not yet deployed in the current military campaign.
Trump defended the broader military operation, saying its main goal is preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. He claimed Iran has grown reluctant to deploy radar systems because of repeated US attacks on military targets. US strikes have hit Iranian tankers, oil infrastructure, and military positions across the country since the conflict began months ago.
Strait of Hormuz tensions rise
The threat came as Iran accused the US of attacking oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and warned of further escalation. Tehran called the tanker strikes a violation of international maritime law and said the attacks endangered civilian crews. The US claimed the vessels were involved in transporting Iranian military supplies.
The exchange has pushed Brent crude above $93 per barrel, adding pressure to global energy markets already strained by months of conflict. US diesel prices hit a record $5.85 per gallon earlier this week, squeezing trucking companies and raising consumer costs across the country. Gasoline pump prices have climbed steadily since the tanker strikes began, with the national average approaching $4.50 per gallon.
Nuclear option looms
No US administration has ever directly targeted an Iranian nuclear facility. A strike on Pickaxe Mountain would represent a qualitative shift in the conflict, potentially drawing Iran’s allies into a wider regional war. Russia and China have both condemned the US campaign and called for an immediate ceasefire.
The site’s underground construction complicates any military action. Pickaxe Mountain was built to survive conventional attacks and may require multiple strikes with the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, a 30,000-pound bomb designed to reach deeply buried targets. The US has approximately 20 of these weapons in its arsenal, according to defense analysts. Using them would mark the first combat deployment of the weapon in any conflict to date.
Iran’s UN mission did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The International Atomic Energy Agency, which monitors Iran’s nuclear program, declined to say whether it had received new information about activity at the site. IAEA inspectors have had limited access to Iranian facilities since the conflict began, raising questions about how much the US actually knows about conditions inside Pickaxe Mountain.
Markets react
The threat spooked financial markets on Friday. Bitcoin fell below $77,000 as investors pulled back from risk assets. The dollar index climbed to 99.15 as safe-haven demand surged. Treasury yields rose toward 4.8%, reflecting expectations that energy-driven inflation could delay Federal Reserve rate cuts.
Oil markets remain the most direct pressure point. The Hormuz chokepoint handles roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply, and any disruption sends prices higher globally. Analysts at Goldman Sachs warned that a strike on Pickaxe Mountain could push Brent crude above $100 for the first time since the conflict began.
European allies expressed concern about the escalation. Germany’s foreign ministry called for restraint and said diplomatic channels remain open. France said it would oppose any strike on nuclear facilities. The UK urged both sides to avoid actions that could widen the conflict.
Diplomatic window narrows
The Pentagon has not publicly confirmed plans for a strike on Pickaxe Mountain. Defense officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the military has prepared options but emphasized that any decision rests with the president.
Trump’s comments suggest the administration is building a case for action. By framing a potential strike as conditional on Iranian activity, he leaves room to justify the attack as defensive rather than preemptive. Critics argue this framing is misleading, since the US initiated the current round of strikes.
The next 48 hours will be critical. Iranian officials are expected to address the threat at a press conference on Saturday. Markets will remain on edge as investors weigh the probability of a wider conflict against hopes for a negotiated ceasefire. Oil traders are watching the Strait of Hormuz closely, where US and Iranian naval vessels have been operating in increasingly close proximity over the past several weeks.
The conflict has already disrupted shipping lanes, raised insurance costs for tankers transiting the strait, and forced some carriers to reroute around the Cape of Good Hope. A strike on Pickaxe Mountain would likely trigger retaliatory attacks on US bases in the region, according to analysts at the International Crisis Group. The question now is whether Trump’s comments signal a genuine decision to strike or leverage aimed at extracting concessions from Tehran before the diplomatic window closes entirely.
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