US President Donald Trump has threatened to strike Iran's heavily fortified underground nuclear site at Pickaxe Mountain 'very soon', speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday. According to Press Trust of India, Trump defended the months-long US military campaign against Iran, stating 'We may hit Pickaxe very soon... we're leading in space now by a lot', adding that US intelligence was closely monitoring activity at the site. The President emphasized that 'We know everybody that's moving at Pickaxe; we know everybody that's moving everywhere all over Iran. And if anything goes bad, we hit them; we hit them hard'. Trump claimed that 'We've stopped them from having one. We've been in there for five months, and in five months, what did we do? We stopped them from having a nuclear weapon', arguing that 'Iran will not have a nuclear weapon because if they did, you probably wouldn't be standing here very long'. The threat comes as the latest escalation in the ongoing conflict between the two nations, with fighting having resumed in recent days after a period of relative calm.
Iran has strongly criticized the US approach to negotiations, accusing Washington of mistaking the concept of negotiation for dictation, according to Anadolu Agency. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei stated that such an approach will definitely not work with Iran, arguing that the US has become trapped in what he described as a strategic mistake. Baqaei accused Washington of acting in 'bad faith' and being confused over its approach toward Iran, warning that as long as they act in this manner, they will certainly achieve no result other than what they have obtained so far. The latest military exchange has highlighted the extent to which the war has become a contest of endurance rather than a march toward a decisive outcome, with former officials raising concerns about limited conventional choices available to Washington.
Pickaxe Mountain, known in Iran as Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La, is a heavily fortified underground complex roughly 2 km from the Natanz nuclear enrichment facility, which the US and Israel struck during Operation Midnight Hammer in 2025. According to Press Trust of India, the site has remained untouched through the current war despite repeated threats from Trump since July, after Israeli intelligence assessed that Iran had shifted centrifuges into the mountain last year. The underground construction of the site is believed to make it substantially more resistant to conventional aerial bombardment, making any potential US decision to strike it a significant escalation in the campaign against Iran's nuclear infrastructure. Analysts have said the tunnels, buried under more than 100 metres of rock, could eventually house a centrifuge assembly line or enrichment equipment, with the facility's hardened underground construction and potential suitability for sensitive nuclear work making it a focus of Western governments and nuclear analysts.
The latest military exchange has intensified with US forces completing a wave of strikes against Iranian military targets, according to CENTCOM. The operations targeted facilities associated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including air-defence installations, radar systems, maritime assets, mine-laying capabilities and communications sites. According to Business Standard, CENTCOM said the strikes followed what it described as recent 'attempted attacks' by the IRGC against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and against US service members. Trump also spoke about recent US strikes on Iranian radar systems, claiming American forces had destroyed sophisticated radar installations on two occasions, stating 'There had been no shooting for days before the hit that we gave them the other night to wipe out the radar they had'. Iran has strongly condemned the latest American strikes, accusing Washington of violating Iranian sovereignty and targeting non-military infrastructure across several provinces.
Despite the nuclear tensions, Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi has indicated that the diplomatic channel with Washington remains open, according to NDTV Profit. He stated that Iran is not holding direct talks with the US but is exchanging messages through intermediaries, with several countries working to facilitate a return to negotiations. Baqaei confirmed that Iran remains in routine contact with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), but denied that any new negotiations are underway between Tehran and the UN nuclear watchdog. He emphasized that 'Our mission to the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna holds discussions with the relevant parties at the agency whenever necessary'. The debate centers on Iran's deeply buried nuclear facilities and their vulnerability, with questions growing about whether conventional military power can permanently eliminate Iran's most heavily protected nuclear facilities.
Baqaei addressed broader regional security concerns, stating that Iran would continue consultations with Türkiye and other regional countries, adding that regional states increasingly see cooperation and mutual trust as necessary for protecting their security. Regarding the Mecca defense pact between Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, Baqaei said Tehran does not view it as a threat to Iran, noting that the three countries have directly or indirectly faced Israeli threats. Asked about reports that Iran was considering withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Baqaei said a debate exists among experts and the public, particularly over what he described as Iran being deprived of the treaty's benefits despite fulfilling its obligations, while stressing that Tehran's official position remains unchanged and it considers itself committed to the obligations contained in the NPT.
