Trump Threatens Iran's Pickaxe Mountain Nuclear Site
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Trump is threatening to attack "Pickaxe Mountain," a heavily fortified underground nuclear facility inside Iran.
- The threat follows a third consecutive night of US strikes and a US demand to be paid 20% of the value of all cargo passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Why it matters: Strikes now in their third night, paired with a 20% levy on all Hormuz shipping, signal a shift from targeted military action to a permanent economic toll on one of the world's most critical oil corridors — using Iran's nuclear program as leverage to extract revenue from global trade.
