Trump says the US will strike Iran's 'Pickaxe Mountain' underground nuclear facility
US President Donald Trump declared on July 13 that US forces would take out 'Pickaxe Mountain,' a heavily fortified underground nuclear complex near Iran's Natanz facility, saying a strike would come 'relatively soon'; the threat came during the third consecutive night of US strikes on Iran, as satellite imagery showed recent construction at the site and Iran's army struck a US naval vessel with cruise missiles
Add to a list
No lists yet.
Summary
US President Donald Trump threatened on July 13 to destroy "Pickaxe Mountain," a heavily fortified underground nuclear facility near Iran's Natanz complex, saying US forces would take it out "relatively soon" and that it was "on the list." The warning came as the US carried out its third consecutive night of strikes against Iran. Al-Monitor reported that satellite imagery has detected recent construction at the underground site. Iran's state media reported the Iranian army struck a US naval vessel with cruise missiles on the same day, the first confirmed Iranian counter-strike against US naval assets.
The split
US and Israeli outlets (JNS, Haaretz) report the Pickaxe Mountain threat as a deliberate escalation move, paired with a third night of strikes. Pakistani and Indian papers (The News International, Free Press Journal, Sunday Guardian Live) foreground the nuclear dimension: a threatened strike on an enrichment facility is a qualitative step beyond the conventional targets hit so far. Al-Monitor's satellite-imagery angle is notable for being absent from mainstream wire coverage. Haaretz alone captures Iran's naval counter-strike against a US vessel, which US-centric outlets omit.
By the numbers
- 3, consecutive nights of US strikes on Iran as of July 14
- 1, US naval vessel struck by Iranian cruise missiles, per Iranian state media via Haaretz
- 1, underground nuclear complex near Natanz explicitly named as a US target
Why it matters
Striking Iran's nuclear facilities would be a categorical escalation from the conventional strikes already underway. Bunker-busting munitions would be required for a buried site. Iran's naval counter-strikes, if they continue, raise the risk of a direct naval clash in the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint that carries a major share of global oil trade.
What to watch
- Whether US forces carry out a strike on Pickaxe Mountain in the coming days
- Iran's response: further naval or missile attacks on US forces, carriers or regional allies
- IAEA access to the facility: whether inspectors can verify what is being constructed there
- The status of the preliminary Iran-US peace framework after the Hormuz levy announcement