Trump threatens possible strike on Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain

WASHINGTON, Sep 4: US President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States could strike Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain “very soon,” as tensions between Washington and Tehran continue to escalate.

Pickaxe Mountain, located near Iran’s heavily damaged Natanz uranium enrichment facility, is a heavily fortified site containing two deeply buried tunnel complexes. Trump did not provide further details on the potential timing or scope of any strike.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration is developing a broader post-war Middle East strategy aimed at containing Iran through closer alignment among US allies in the region, Axios reported Friday, citing officials and sources familiar with the discussions.

Trump has privately said he is working on “something much bigger” in the Middle East after the war, according to the report. The strategy could include expanding the Abraham Accords, pursuing Saudi-Israeli normalization and advancing security arrangements involving Gaza, Syria and Lebanon.

Separately, a senior US official told Israel’s Channel 12 that Washington currently does not indicate that US military bases in Jordan were targeted. The comments came after Arab media reported that Iranian missiles had been intercepted over Jordan.

“At this stage, we are not aware of any firing at American bases in Jordan,” the official was quoted as saying.