U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to strike Iran's underground Pickaxe Mountain nuclear facility "very soon and with great force," saying the military campaign against Tehran is "not even close to over". Trump said Iran would need more than 20 years to recover from damage already inflicted.
The Pickaxe Mountain site near Natanz is suspected by Western intelligence of housing an undeclared uranium enrichment facility. Israel believes Iran moved advanced centrifuges and highly enriched uranium there following 2025 strikes. Trump acknowledged the U.S. has no confirmed records of such a transfer but dismissed its significance. Trump received a Situation Room briefing last week on escalation strategies, including an operation to seize Kharg Island and airstrikes on Pickaxe Mountain.
Washington and Tehran have been exchanging strikes for two weeks, shattering a June 18 ceasefire, with Iran expanding attacks across the region. Trump said he has no interest in meeting Iran until Tehran is prepared for meaningful nuclear negotiations, even as he claimed Iran is desperate for talks.