Overview
- President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States will “hit that area very soon, and with great force,” explicitly naming the deeply buried Pickaxe Mountain facility near Natanz as a potential target.
- Western intelligence and reporters say Pickaxe Mountain is more deeply buried and more complex than earlier sites, with multiple tunnels and fortification that may put it beyond the reach of U.S. 30,000‑pound bunker‑busting bombs.
- Iran and its proxies have stepped up drone and missile strikes on Gulf states and commercial shipping, and Houthi forces in Yemen have announced moves to restrict Red Sea navigation that could widen the maritime disruption.
- U.S. military officials have reported nearly 100 service members injured in recent weeks and there are unconfirmed media reports of several U.S. combat deaths, a development that is increasing domestic political pressure on the White House.
- Markets reacted to the escalation with Brent crude near $91 per barrel and analysts warning of much higher prices if chokepoints such as the Strait of Hormuz or Bab el‑Mandeb remain disrupted, and the threat follows a 2025 U.S.-Israeli offensive that did not neutralize the deeper Pickaxe complex.