U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States would target Iran's fortified Pickaxe Mountain site, warning that Washington would continue military action against the country as both sides exchanged further missile and drone attacks.
Speaking during an interview on The Hugh Hewitt Show, Trump said, "We're going to take out Pickaxe Mountain. Tell the Iranians to be ready."
He also said the United States would continue striking Iran, adding that military operations would intensify in the coming days while reiterating that Washington had reinstated its blockade of Iranian shipping in the Gulf and would keep the Strait of Hormuz open for a fee.
Pickaxe Mountain is located south of Tehran near Iran's heavily damaged Natanz uranium enrichment facility and is regarded as one of the country's most heavily fortified nuclear-related sites.
The complex contains two deeply buried tunnel systems excavated beneath hundreds of metres of granite, making it difficult to destroy even with the most powerful bunker-buster bombs in the U.S. arsenal.
According to U.S. intelligence assessments cited in the source material, officials suspect Iran may be seeking to establish an undeclared uranium-enrichment facility at the site as a strategic hedge for its nuclear programme.
Tehran has maintained since construction began in 2020 that the facility is intended solely for assembling and manufacturing advanced centrifuges.
Trump said the United States had been closely monitoring the location, adding, "We're watching Pickaxe Mountain very closely. We don't see any activity there."
The latest remarks came as U.S. Central Command announced a new wave of military operations against Iran, marking the third consecutive night of strikes targeting Iranian military capabilities.
CENTCOM said precision-guided munitions were used against coastal-defence systems, missile and drone sites, and naval capabilities during a five-hour operation.
Iranian media reported explosions across several southern locations, including Kish Island, Qeshm Island, Abu Musa, Bandar Abbas and Jam.
Iran's official media reported multiple explosions but provided no confirmed details on casualties or the extent of the damage.
Mehr news agency cited an official in Khuzestan province as saying four people were injured in strikes targeting areas around Omidiyeh, while Nour News reported that three boats caught fire at Kish Island's port following the attacks.
Iran blamed the United States for what it described as the return of insecurity to the region, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps accused Washington of endangering global oil supplies.
Despite the military escalation, Trump said an agreement with Tehran to end the conflict remained "certainly possible."