Trump threatens strikes on Iran's Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site and reinstates Strait of Hormuz blockade as US-Iran conflict escalates through July 13

Summary

The United States military launched a new wave of strikes against Iran in the early hours of Monday July 13, saying the aim was to degrade the IRGC's ability to target civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The Irgc launched a third retaliatory wave, striking US military facilities in Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan and Oman. Oil rose above US$75 a barrel after Trump reinstated what he called a Strait of Hormuz blockade. By evening, Trump announced the US would 'take out Pickaxe Mountain', a hardened underground nuclear facility near Natanz, signalling a potential expansion of strikes to Iranian nuclear infrastructure. Trump also said the US would strike Iran "hard" overnight after an MoU between the two sides collapsed. Iran and Oman said political and technical talks on Hormuz management would continue.

The split

Two within-country splits are visible in the existing coverage. In Iran: PressTV frames the July 13 exchange as IRGC victory ("you failed to learn your lessons"), with no mention of Trump's Pickaxe Mountain nuclear-site threat. Iran International's liveblog carries both sides' actions without echoing the state victory framing. In Israel: Haaretz holds both sides' claims (CENTCOM struck dozens of targets; Tehran claimed a third phase hit four Gulf states) without endorsing either. Ynet and The Jerusalem Post lead on Pickaxe Mountain, reflecting Israel's distinct nuclear-infrastructure stake.

Across countries: Al Jazeera frames the day as mutual "trade attacks" and leads with the 4 percent crude spike, treating the conflict as an economic-chokepoint story. Asharq Al-Awsat ran two details others missed: Jordan downed 4 Iranian missiles over Jordanian airspace (the first non-Gulf Arab intercept in this cycle, extending Iranian targeting geography to the Levant), and the Arab League's collective rejection of Iranian attacks on Arab states arrived just 27 minutes before Jordan's own air-defense action. Gulf News wrote to UAE residents on air-defence alerts and travel conditions. The Jakarta Post, from the world's largest Muslim-majority democracy, named both sides' actions without the pro-Western editorial framing dominant in Gulf and European coverage.

Core information gap: Trump's Pickaxe Mountain threat and his claim that a deal was "100% done" before Tehran walked away ran prominently in Israeli, US and European coverage. Neither appeared in Iranian state media.

By the numbers

• US$75+, per barrel, oil price after Trump reinstated the Strait of Hormuz blockade
• 3, retaliatory waves the IRGC launched against US military targets in Gulf states as of July 13 evening
• 4, Gulf states where the IRGC claimed to have struck US military facilities on July 13

Why it matters

Trump's threat to target Pickaxe Mountain, a nuclear site near Natanz, marks the first public signal that US strikes could expand beyond conventional military targets to Iran's nuclear infrastructure. Combined with the Hormuz blockade reinstatement and a collapsing MoU, July 13 ends with the conflict at its most acute level since strikes began. Each IRGC retaliatory wave against Gulf state US facilities draws Arab neighbours deeper into the exchange, complicating the Arab League's institutional rejection of Iranian attacks.

What to watch

• Whether the US strikes Pickaxe Mountain or other nuclear infrastructure overnight
• Whether Iran launches a fourth retaliatory wave against Gulf states
• Whether Iran-Oman diplomatic talks on Hormuz produce any mechanism to allow commercial shipping through the Strait
• Whether the collapsing MoU can be revived or signals a definitive end to the ceasefire channel