US President Donald Trump has said Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, warning that America’s remaining Iranian nuclear targets — including the underground Pickaxe Mountain site — could be struck within 10 minutes, while also saying Tehran wants a deal.
Trump made the remarks to reporters at a Halloween party at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida on Saturday night, US time. He said the United States had already knocked out much of Iran’s military and nuclear capability, but that one or two sites remained.
“We’ve knocked out their nuclear. We still have to take care of, I would say, one or two sites, but we can do that in ten minutes,” Trump said. “You probably could look at Pickaxe Mountain, and you have to take care of that. We can do that all very quickly.”
What Trump said
Trump said the US was in no hurry to resume strikes because, in his words, it had already knocked out Iran’s navy, air force, anti-aircraft systems and almost every piece of its military equipment. Those are Trump’s claims about the campaign so far, not independently verified battlefield assessments, and this article reports them as his statements.
On negotiations, Trump repeated his central red line: “Iran will never have a nuclear weapon. They want to make a deal; we’ll find out about that.” He added that talks were going fine but that Iranians were “not very reliable” because, in his words, “they make a deal and then they back out.”
Trump declined to say whether renewed military operations were coming in the next few days, and gave no timeline for any decision.
What is Pickaxe Mountain?
Pickaxe Mountain, known in Arabic as Jabal al-Fas and in Iran as Kuh-e Kolang, is a suspected underground nuclear complex next to Natanz. Reporting on the site has described it as sitting under hundreds of feet of rock. Iran has denied that any nuclear work is carried out there, according to AFP reporting.
International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi told the UN Security Council on Tuesday that inspectors have no access to confirm what is inside damaged facilities, according to reporting of his remarks. That access gap is why the site’s exact status remains contested rather than settled.
Trump had already named Pickaxe Mountain in October, when he said the US might have to strike it — a development covered in our earlier report linked above. Saturday’s remarks go further in one respect: they attach a specific, very short timeframe — 10 minutes — to dealing with the remaining sites.
Iran’s response
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei warned on Saturday that any threat from the United States or Israel would invite an immediate response, without geographical limitations, according to Iran’s official IRNA news agency.
Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said no new decision had been made on changing Iran’s nuclear doctrine, IRNA reported. Rezaei is the official Vice President JD Vance engaged with a peace proposal last weekend, and his separate claim that Washington has “completely shifted tone” was covered in our earlier report linked above.
Why this matters
The remarks land days before the US midterm elections and while diplomatic contacts continue. Reports of Qatari-mediated negotiations have circulated, but the United States has not confirmed the reported diplomatic developments, and the contents of any US letter to Tehran remain undisclosed.
The practical question is unresolved: whether Saturday’s warning is pressure designed to force a deal, a prelude to further strikes, or both. Trump himself kept both options open — saying the US is not in a hurry, while insisting the remaining targets could be dealt with very quickly.
What is still unknown
- Whether the US will resume strikes, and if so when — Trump gave no date.
- What, if anything, has been agreed in the reported Qatar-mediated talks.
- What is actually inside Pickaxe Mountain, while inspectors lack access.
Frequently asked questions
Did Trump say the US will definitely strike Pickaxe Mountain? No. He said the site could be dealt with in 10 minutes and very quickly, but he did not announce a strike or a date.
Has Iran agreed to a deal? No agreement has been announced. Trump said Iran wants a deal; whether one is reached remains to be seen.
Is Pickaxe Mountain confirmed as a nuclear site? It is described in reporting as a suspected underground complex. Iran denies nuclear work there, and inspectors currently have no access to verify what is inside.
Sources
- Times of India: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/we-can-do-it-in-ten-minutes-trump-signals-fresh-us-strikes-on-iran-names-pickaxe-mountain/articleshow/135416567.cms
- Financial Express: https://www.financialexpress.com/world-news/us-news/can-do-that-in-10-minutes-trump-threatens-to-target-remaining-1-or-2-iranian-nuclear-sites/4374278/
- The Tribune (ANI): https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/usa-news/trump-says-remaining-iran-nuclear-sites-can-be-hit-in-10-minutes-claims-tehran-wants-to-make-a-deal/
- Kurdistan24: https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/949895
- Israel National News: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/435436
