President Donald Trump said the U.S. could strike Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain nuclear facility relatively soon during a televised interview on Monday, July 13 [1].
The warning signals a potential escalation in military tension between Washington and Tehran as the U.S. monitors construction and nuclear development at the southern Tehran site.
Speaking with Fox News, Trump said the facility is "no big deal" while maintaining that military action remains an option [3]. He said the U.S. must respond to the ongoing activity at the site to prevent further nuclear advancement [2].
Trump dismissed the need for external intelligence regarding the facility's status. "I don’t need Bibi to tell me what’s going on – we know exactly what’s happening at Pickaxe Mountain," Trump said [4].
Reports on the president's intent vary between a definitive decision and a consideration of options. Some reports indicate he is weighing a "big fat shot" at the facility, while others suggest he has already implied a decision to "take out" the site [4, 5].
This potential action follows a period of increased U.S. military activity in the region. The U.S. previously targeted three nuclear sites in 2025 [6].
Trump said the United States still possesses the option to strike the mountain facility [3]. He said the operation could occur "relatively soon" [7].
“"We could take out Pickaxe Mountain relatively soon."”
The focus on Pickaxe Mountain suggests a shift toward targeting hardened, underground facilities that are traditionally more difficult to neutralize. By publicly weighing a strike while simultaneously downplaying the site's significance, the administration is employing a strategy of strategic ambiguity to pressure Iran into halting nuclear development without committing to a specific timeline for escalation.
