In an interview given to Fox News today (Tuesday), U.S. President Donald Trump sharply attacked Iranian conduct surrounding nuclear talks, revealed that the United States is fully and closely monitoring activities at the secret facility at Pickaxe Mountain, and issued an explicit military ultimatum that includes wiping out the Islamic Republic’s nuclear facilities and power plants within a single day.
During the interview, Trump addressed intelligence provided by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office regarding the fortified underground facility at Pickaxe Mountain, clarifying that American monitoring capabilities are entirely sufficient to obtain an accurate picture.
According to the President, “I don’t need Bibi to tell me that. Bibi tells me that because he wants me to stay involved. We have the best cameras in the world focused there, and we know exactly what is happening. I said, ‘Bibi, maybe just tell me why you need to inform the world?’… I know exactly what’s happening there, and it’s not a big problem. We took down their nuclear facilities and we will take down Pickaxe Mountain easily if we don’t make a deal.”
Alongside this, Trump addressed political gaps surrounding channels of dialogue, claiming Tehran is employing evasion tactics: “For some reason, we are in the middle of great talks, but Iran says they aren’t talking to us.” The American President concluded his remarks with a direct and dramatic threat to the Iranian electrical grid and energy sector: “If they don’t sign a deal – I will destroy the power plants in one day.”
Last night, the New York Post reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to present U.S. President Donald Trump, during their meeting in Washington, with intelligence showing that Iran continues to expand its nuclear activity at the secret underground site, “Pickaxe Mountain,” according to a source in Jerusalem.
The source in Jerusalem added that Israel is also expected to present Trump with information regarding Iran’s efforts to rehabilitate its missile and drone arrays damaged in strikes. According to the source, the findings reinforce the assessment that Tehran does not intend to abandon its nuclear ambitions and military build-up within the context of contacts for a ceasefire with the United States.
Earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel obtained evidence that nuclear centrifuges were recently moved for the first time to the secret facility at Pickaxe Mountain since its construction began in 2020.
Against this backdrop, President Trump signaled that he is prepared to attack the site, though experts estimate the facility extends to a depth of 300 to 450 feet beneath solid granite, making it a difficult target to destroy even for the most advanced bunker-buster bombs in the U.S. Air Force arsenal. Immediate options available to the U.S. include strikes on bunker entrances to deny access, while ground sabotage operations inside are considered extremely dangerous.