Iran should tread carefully, President Donald Trump said Wednesday, warning that Washington could strike Pickaxe Mountain if necessary, Reuters reported.
Trump made the remarks in a speech at the Republican Party's midterm convention, saying, "We notice there's a little activity at Pickaxe. I would advise Iran not to get cute because we will have to hit them very hard."
Built with two deeply buried tunnel complexes, Pickaxe Mountain is a fortified facility positioned near Iran's severely damaged Natanz uranium enrichment plant. Since at least mid-July, Trump has repeatedly threatened to strike the facility.
Reuters noted that rising oil and gas prices triggered by the US-Israeli war on Iran have emerged as a significant political liability for Trump and the Republican Party ahead of November's midterm elections.
On February 28, US and Israeli forces struck Iran, prompting Tehran to retaliate against Israel and against Gulf states hosting American military bases. Since then, US-Israeli strikes on Iran combined with Israeli attacks on Lebanon have left thousands dead and displaced millions more.
Alleging that Tehran was trying to sway elections that will decide whether Republicans retain control of Congress, Trump also predicted the war would end shortly after the midterms.
The Pickaxe Mountain site sits about 140 miles (220 km) south of Tehran, only 1.2 miles (2 km) from Natanz.
As reported by Reuters, US and Israeli forces struck the Natanz site, home to two of Iran's uranium enrichment plants, in March as part of their broader military campaign against Iran. Natanz had also come under Israeli fire the previous year, during the 12-day Israel-Iran war.
According to the Institute for Science and International Security, a US-based nuclear non-proliferation think tank, the tunnel facility being built at Pickaxe Mountain escaped attack in both conflicts.
Weakening Iran's nuclear capabilities is one of the war objectives Trump has cited, the report added. Tehran maintains it has no nuclear weapons and says its uranium enrichment program serves only peaceful purposes. Washington itself possesses nuclear weapons, while Israel, widely regarded as the Middle East's sole nuclear-armed state, has never officially confirmed or denied that status.
