President Donald Trump said overnight Monday that the United States intends to strike Iran’s underground “Mount Pickaxe” site near the Natanz nuclear facility, warning: “Tell the Iranians to be ready—this will probably happen soon.”
1+Trump added that the U.S. is closely monitoring activity at the site. “We don’t see activity there. They’re not in good shape when it comes to their nuclear program. Every time we hear about it, we blow it up. That’s why they don’t like to talk about this place.”
Mount Pickaxe is located near the uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, which has been severely damaged in previous strikes. The site has two deep, fortified tunnel complexes that experts believe are beyond the penetration capability of the most powerful bunker-buster bombs in the American arsenal.
1+Earlier, Trump announced that the United States is resuming its blockade on Iranian shipping in the Gulf, and made clear that Washington will act to keep the Strait of Hormuz open—but for a fee. “We’re going to hit them very hard tomorrow too. And there’s nothing they can do about it.”