President Trump said on Monday evening that the U.S. will strike Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain nuclear facility, telling Iranian officials to “be ready” for an imminent attack on the deeply buried site. “We’re going to take out Pickaxe Mountain. Tell the Iranians to be ready. Okay, there’s nothing they can do about it,” Trump said during an interview on the Hugh Hewitt Show.
Pickaxe Mountain, formally known as Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La, is a heavily fortified underground complex located near Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment facility in the Zagros Mountains. The site is buried 80 to 100 meters below granite, making it far deeper than Iran’s Fordow facility, which the U.S. and Israel targeted in June 2025.
Trump said the U.S. has “a lot of eyes” on the facility and sees “no activity” there currently, but will “probably give Pickaxe a shot relatively soon.” He described the site as “a possible target for a nice big fat shot right near the front door.” The president’s threat comes as the U.S. launched a new round of strikes against Iran on Monday evening—the third consecutive day of American military operations.
Experts have warned, however, that Pickaxe Mountain’s extreme depth presents a significant challenge. Analysts assess that America’s most powerful bunker buster bombs are unlikely to penetrate the facility, which is suspected of housing uranium enrichment capabilities and stockpiles. The site was not among the three Iranian nuclear facilities struck by the U.S. military in June 2025.
Trump’s statement comes amid the collapse of a fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran. The two countries agreed to a two-week ceasefire on April 7-8, 2026, but fighting resumed on July 8 after the U.S. launched strikes on approximately 90 Iranian military targets. Iran retaliated with strikes on commercial vessels and regional targets, prompting the U.S. to resume offensive operations.
According to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Iran is continuing construction at Pickaxe Mountain in violation of a U.S.-Iran agreement. Trump also announced on Monday that the U.S. will reinstate a naval blockade against Iranian ships and ports in the Strait of Hormuz, citing threats to freedom of navigation in the vital shipping lane.
“These strikes will continue imposing a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement. Trump told Hewitt that American forces would “hit them very hard tonight and we’re going to hit them hard tomorrow. And there’s not a damn thing they can do about it.”
Sources
- The Hill — Trump’s direct quotes on Pickaxe Mountain, facility location and depth, expert assessment of bunker buster vulnerability
- Al Jazeera — Trump’s verbatim statement and context on ceasefire collapse
- Foundation for Defense of Democracies — Iran’s continued construction at Pickaxe Mountain and violation of U.S.-Iran agreement
- The Washington Post — U.S. strikes on 90 Iranian targets and ceasefire breakdown
- Wall Street Journal — Pickaxe Mountain depth (80-100 meters) and bunker buster assessment
