Trump: One or two Iran targets left including Pickaxe Mountain — SkimNews
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- Trump said the U.S. had significantly weakened Iran's military and nuclear program but still needed to address one or two sites, including a suspected underground nuclear complex near Natanz.
- Trump specifically named Pickaxe Mountain as a target the U.S. would 'take care of,' claiming the operation could be completed in 10 minutes.
- Mojtaba Khamenei issued a written directive ordering Iran's armed forces to prepare for an immediate, geographically unrestricted response to any U.S. or Israeli threat.
- Mojtaba Khamenei instructed the military to update target lists to include all U.S. and Israeli assets and to increase production of reconnaissance and combat weapons.
- Trump claimed negotiations with Iran were progressing but questioned Tehran's reliability, while maintaining the U.S. was not in a rush to launch further strikes.
- Marco Rubio stated Trump had not yet decided on new strikes against Iran and that diplomatic solutions remained an option.
Why it matters: The U.S. is signaling it may resume military action post-midterms, with Trump identifying specific targets like Pickaxe Mountain, while Iran prepares for broad retaliation—raising stakes for regional escalation just days before a key election. This narrows the window for diplomacy and increases pressure on Gulf allies to respond.
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