US President Donald Trump has said the United States may target Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain facility as Washington seeks to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon, while ruling out the use of a nuclear bomb in the ongoing conflict.
Speaking to Newsmax on Thursday night, Trump said the United States was examining the possibility of striking the heavily fortified site, which is linked to Iran’s nuclear programme and is located deep underground near one of the country’s major nuclear facilities.
“We may have to go there,” Trump said, describing the facility as buried beneath millions of tons of rock and saying the United States could strike it to destroy the site.
Trump said his administration’s objective was to ensure Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon, arguing that Tehran could use such a weapon if it acquired one.
The comments come as the war involving Iran, the United States and Israel continues after US and Israeli strikes against Iran began in February. The conflict has raised concerns about the future of Iran’s nuclear programme and the risk of further escalation across the region.
Despite his threat to target the underground facility, Trump said Washington would not use a nuclear weapon in the conflict.
“I wouldn’t use nuclear. We don’t have to,” he said.
Trump also repeated that he was not considering sending US ground troops into Iran, suggesting that Washington’s military strategy would continue to rely primarily on air power and other long range capabilities.
Pickaxe Mountain is considered strategically important because of its hardened underground construction. Facilities built deep beneath mountains can be more difficult to damage with conventional weapons, making them a significant challenge in any military operation targeting nuclear infrastructure.
Trump did not confirm whether he had authorised the use of the GBU 43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, commonly known as the MOAB, against Iranian energy or nuclear facilities. He stressed that the weapon is not nuclear.
Any US decision to strike Pickaxe Mountain could carry wider consequences for the conflict, particularly if the facility is connected to Iran’s nuclear activities. Such an operation could also increase pressure on Tehran and raise the risk of further military escalation in the region.
For now, Trump’s comments indicate that the United States is considering additional options against Iran’s underground nuclear related infrastructure while publicly ruling out the use of nuclear weapons and US ground forces.
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