Trump Vows to Bomb Iran's Pickaxe Mountain, Rules Out Ceasefire
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- Trump said the U.S. military will bomb Iran's Pickaxe Mountain, a deep underground site the U.S. and Israel suspect could be used for nuclear activity, vowing: "We'll be hitting that area pretty soon, and very heavily."
- The Wall Street Journal reported Israel provided intelligence that Iran moved thousands of centrifuges into Pickaxe Mountain, though Trump said the U.S. thinks Iran "may have" stored centrifuges there but "We don't have it on record."
- Trump downplayed the nuclear stakes, saying centrifuges alone "doesn't mean anything unless they have the [nuclear] material," and claimed Iran has none.
- Trump is weighing two options in the Iran war — a 10-day ceasefire to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, urged by Qatar, Egypt, Pakistan, and other mediators, or a massive joint military campaign with Israel to force Tehran to capitulate — and signaled Tuesday he is leaning toward escalation.
- Trump dismissed Iran's desire to negotiate, saying Tehran "wants to desperately meet, and until they're ready to meet in a meaningful way, we have no interest," and warned Iran "hasn't seen anything yet."
- U.S. military planners face an open question on whether American bombs can penetrate the rock above the deep underground facility, though a strike could still damage the site and block its entrance tunnels.
Why it matters: Trump's public vow forecloses the diplomatic track that Qatar, Egypt, and Pakistan are pushing — a 10-day ceasefire to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The overlooked risk: it's unclear whether the U.S. has bombs that can penetrate Pickaxe Mountain's rock, meaning a strike may damage but not necessarily destroy the facility.
