U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States could strike Pickaxe Mountain in Iran, warning Tehran against what he described as reckless actions.
Speaking late Wednesday at a Republican Party conference ahead of the U.S. midterm elections, Trump said, “We are seeing some activity at Pickaxe. I strongly advise Iran because we will have to hit it very hard.”
Pickaxe Mountain is located near Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment facility, which has suffered extensive damage. The site is heavily fortified and contains two underground tunnel complexes buried deep beneath the ground.
Trump has threatened to strike Pickaxe Mountain since at least mid-July.
Rising oil and gas prices caused by the war have become a major crisis for Trump and his Republican Party ahead of the U.S. midterm elections scheduled for November.
The United States and Israel launched an attack on Iran on February 28, prompting Iranian strikes targeting Israel and Gulf states. The U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed thousands of people and displaced millions, according to the report.
Trump has said he believes the war will end once the midterm elections are over, accusing Tehran of attempting to influence the elections, which will determine whether Republicans retain control of Congress.
Pickaxe Mountain is located about 220 kilometers south of Tehran and two kilometers from the Natanz complex.
Natanz, which houses two of Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities, was struck in March as part of the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran. Israel had also previously struck Natanz during last year’s 12-day war between the two countries.
According to the Institute for Science and International Security, a U.S. research organization focused on nuclear nonproliferation issues, the tunnel facility under construction at Pickaxe Mountain was not targeted in either of the two wars.
Trump has repeatedly said that weakening Iran’s nuclear capabilities is one of the objectives of the war.
Iran does not possess nuclear weapons and maintains that its uranium enrichment program is intended for peaceful purposes. The United States is a nuclear-armed power, while Israel is widely believed to be the only country in the Middle East possessing nuclear weapons, although it has neither confirmed nor denied this publicly.
Source: Reuters
