{"id":540288,"date":"2026-07-14T03:17:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T03:17:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/540288\/"},"modified":"2026-07-14T03:17:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T03:17:12","slug":"us-strikes-iran-for-3rd-night-in-a-row-as-trump-weighs-taking-out-pickaxe-nuclear-site","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/540288\/","title":{"rendered":"US strikes Iran for 3rd night in a row as Trump weighs taking out Pickaxe nuclear site"},"content":{"rendered":"

US President Donald Trump said Monday he would probably soon order a strike on the Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site, as he declared American military forces would hit Iran hard over the coming two days.<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s remarks came as the US military confirmed launching strikes on Iran for a third consecutive night, while the Islamic Republic carried out attacks on Bahrain and two Emirati oil tankers, killing a crew member and wounding eight others.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to hit them very hard tonight and we\u2019re going to hit them hard tomorrow \u2014 and there\u2019s not a damn thing they can do about it,\u201d Trump told conservative talk show host Hugh Hewitt. \u201cThey have nothing. They have nothing going other than they have big mouths.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked about Pickaxe, which was not among the three nuclear facilities targeted by the US last year, Trump said the US was closely surveilling it.<\/p>\n

\u201cPickaxe is a possible target for a nice big fat shot right near the front door,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe see no activity there. They\u2019re not doing well with their nuclear situation\u2026 We\u2019ll probably give Pickaxe a shot relatively soon,\u201d Trump added.<\/p>\n

Satellite images released<\/a> earlier this month showed recent construction and vehicle activity at Pickaxe, which is tunneled into a mountain near the main Natanz nuclear facility. The exact purpose of the site is not known, and inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency have never been granted access.<\/p>\n

According to the Institute for Science and International Security, there has been persistent activity at Pickaxe since April, when a ceasefire was declared in the US-Israeli war with Iran. The think tank argued that any work carried out at the site violates the memorandum of understanding signed by Washington and Tehran.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tThis handout satellite image courtesy of Vantor shows an overview of the Pickaxe Mountain tunnel complex adjacent to the Natanz Nuclear Facility near Natanz, Isfahan province, in central Iran on March 7, 2026. (Satellite image \u00a92026 Vantor \/ AFP)<\/p>\n

In the interview Monday, Trump downplayed the importance of that MOU, saying it was just a \u201ctest\u201d which did not mean very much because the US was dealing with dishonorable \u201csleaze bags\u201d who did not adhere to its terms. Trump said he questioned why the US was entering into a deal to create a ceasefire with Iran rather than moving toward a full deal first, after declaring last week the ceasefire was \u201cover.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey didn\u2019t honor the test,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Tehran lodged a similar accusation at the US, while claiming the MOU acknowledged its control over the Strait of Hormuz, legitimizing its demand that ships crossing through the channel follow its rules.<\/p>\n

Asked about his pledges to help Iranian anti-regime protesters and whether they should return to the streets, Trump cautioned against the idea, given that the unarmed demonstrators were no match for the regime gunmen cracking down against them.<\/p>\n

He claimed that he never thought a popular uprising against the regime was possible, even though he declared in a speech on the first day of the war that Iran\u2019s people should take over their government once the bombing subsides.<\/p>\n

Asked to respond to claims by Israeli journalists that he has thrown Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu under the bus through the MOU, the terms of which have sparked profound concern in Israel, Trump insisted that was not the case, claiming that he gets along with the Israeli premier very well.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes I disagree with him, and I let it be known, and I\u2019ve been right,\u201d Trump said, before reiterating that Netanyahu has done a good job as a \u201cwartime prime minister\u201d and that Israel would not exist today if the two of them were not in power.<\/p>\n

With Israeli elections approaching, Trump was also asked whether someone in Israel could do a better job than Netanyahu. The US president said he did not know most of the alternatives, but that he had a good relationship with Netanyahu.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tLeft: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Knesset in Jerusalem, June 3, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel\/Flash90); Right: US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo\/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)<\/p>\n

Pressed on whether he should green light resumed Israeli conflicts Hamas and Hezbollah, Trump claimed the US has made a \u201clot of progress\u201d toward getting Hamas to disarm and again touted the terror group for helping recover the bodies of slain Israeli hostages.<\/p>\n

\u2018Reimbursed for protection\u2019<\/p>\n

Speaking later Monday at the White House, Trump said he wanted the US to be reimbursed by Gulf countries in the region for working to secure the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing Iranian attacks there, as he provided new details on his administration doing an about-face and suggesting it will charge tolls for ships going through the key waterway, after previously suggesting that it wouldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to be reimbursed because we\u2019re protecting a very rich portion of the world. We\u2019re spending money, so\u2026 we are going to be reimbursed for protection,\u201d Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, singling out Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait as countries that the US has protected.<\/p>\n

Many of those Gulf countries have privately faulted the US for launching a war against Iran without coordinating with them and without a plan for what it would do when Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz. Those countries have since found themselves bearing the brunt of Iran\u2019s retaliatory strikes.<\/p>\n

Trump spoke about the US \u201cprotecting allies\u2026 including Israel, including Saudi Arabia, including Qatar, including UAE. We\u2019re protecting all of them, and we\u2019ve done a very effective job.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was peppered with questions about how long he expects the latest escalation with Iran to drag out, given that he campaigned on avoiding protracted conflicts. Trump reiterated that the US was striking Iran hard overnight, but claimed the current round of escalation would end quickly.<\/p>\n

Trump said Iran agreed to a deal over the weekend that would have led to deescalation before backing out of the agreement \u201cbecause they found out there was something in the deal they didn\u2019t like.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked if he thought that it would be possible to reach a settlement with Iran, Trump responded, \u201cI never reached that conclusion. But we\u2019re hitting them very heavy tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re going to fight for a while\u2026 and we\u2019ll see what happens,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tThis frame grab taken from AFPTV video footage on July 12, 2026 shows cargo ships anchoring near the Strait of Hormuz off the eastern coast of the United Arab Emirates at Khor Fakkan (AFPTV\/AFP)<\/p>\n

The US military said its latest strikes were aimed at \u201cimposing a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrading their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the five-hour mission, US forces successfully struck military targets across Iran including Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa, and Bandar Abbas to further degrade Iran\u2019s ability to attack commercial shipping,\u201d US Central Command later said in a statement. \u201cCENTCOM forces employed precision munitions against Iranian coastal defense systems, missile and drone sites, and maritime capabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAmerican forces remain vigilant, lethal, and ready,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n

Iranian media reported explosions in Bandar Abbas, Kish and Qeshm islands and on Abu Musa Island in the Gulf. Iran\u2019s Fars news agency said residents in the city of Jam in Bushehr province also heard several explosions but that the exact location of the blasts was not clear. No casualties were reported.<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s southwestern Khuzestan province was hit by US projectiles early on Tuesday, Fars news agency reported, citing a provincial security official, adding that four people were wounded and rescue operations were underway.<\/p>\n

The United Arab Emirates defense ministry meanwhile announced that two national tankers were targeted by two Iranian cruise missiles in the southern lane of the Strait of Hormuz in Omani territorial waters, killing an Indian crew member and wounding six other Indians and two Ukrainians, four of them, including four seriously.<\/p>\n

The ministry said fires broke out on both tankers but were brought under control and condemned the attack as a serious breach of international law.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe UAE reserves its full right to respond to this escalation and to take all necessary measures to protect its territory, its citizens and residents,\u201d the defense ministry added.<\/p>\n

The UAE used similar language before launching attacks against Iran during the war. Fighter jets could be heard overheard Tuesday morning in Dubai.<\/p>\n

Bahrain also came under renewed attack overnight as Iran retaliated over the latest round of US airstrikes. Bahrain sounded its missile alert siren, urging the public to seek shelter. There was no word on any damage or casualties from the attack.<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps later claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying the two \u201coffending supertankers\u201d were hit and disabled after ignoring warnings, turning off navigation systems and attempting to pass through \u201ca mined route.\u201d<\/p>\n

The IRGC, in a statement to Iranian media, said the US was \u201cinciting vessels to use an illegal route\u201d and that cooperation with the \u201caggressor enemy\u201d would result in damage, delays in reopening the strait and a global energy crisis.<\/p>\n

Regarding its drone and missile attacks on Bahrain, the IRGC claimed to target \u201cseveral weapons support warehouses, a satellite communications center and the residential building for US forces in Bahrain.\u201d<\/p>\n

The incidents, which followed earlier exchanges of missile and drone attacks, extended the hostilities that followed Iran\u2019s announcement at the weekend that it was closing the Strait of Hormuz, casting further doubt on an interim deal to halt the war and driving oil prices higher.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Hormuz Strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran. We are reinstating THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE,\u201d Trump insisted earlier on Monday on Truth Social.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe U.S.A. will be, from this point forward, known as \u2018THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT,\u2019 but as such, and as a matter of FAIRNESS, will be reimbursed, at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped.\u201d<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s top joint military command said the US had no role in determining the future of the waterway and would not be allowed to intervene. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X that Tehran was the guardian of the strait and would remain so \u201cforever,\u201d adding in response to Trump\u2019s comments that: \u201c20% is of course too much. We will be fair.\u201d<\/p>\n

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"US President Donald Trump said Monday he would probably soon order a strike on the Pickaxe Mountain nuclear…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":540289,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[229277,190507,54,42,89717,43,114994,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-540288","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-2026-us-iran-memorandum-of-understanding","tag-2026-us-israel-war-with-iran","tag-donald-trump","tag-headlines","tag-irans-nuclear-program","tag-news","tag-strait-of-hormuz","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/540288","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=540288"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/540288\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/540289"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=540288"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=540288"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=540288"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}