President Trump threatens to bomb an Iranian bridge or power plant for every attack on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, escalating a five-month conflict that has cost the U.S. $37.5B. Trump also threatened to strike the "Pickaxe Mountain" underground facility, a suspected nuclear site. Iran has warned it would treat such attacks as an expansion of the war and retaliate against countries hosting U.S. troops by causing power outages.
Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site
- ▪Israeli intelligence believes Iran moved thousands of uranium-enrichment centrifuges and part of its enriched uranium stockpile to Pickaxe Mountain
- ▪Pickaxe Mountain, or Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La, is a suspected nuclear facility located in central Iran, about one mile from the Natanz enrichment site
Trump bombing threats
- ▪President Donald Trump's threat specified that infrastructure in or near the capital city of Tehran could be targeted
- ▪An official with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that if Iran's infrastructure is hit, Tehran would cause power outages in countries hosting U.S. troops
- ▪President Donald Trump also stated the U.S. would strike the suspected Iranian nuclear site known as Pickaxe Mountain "pretty soon, and very heavily."
- ▪President Donald Trump threatened to bomb one Iranian bridge or power plant for each attack on a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz
- ▪Tehran warned that any U.S. attack on Iranian nuclear facilities would be treated as an expansion of the war in the region
Strait of Hormuz crisis
- ▪Iran has demanded the right to control and collect tolls in the Strait of Hormuz, a move U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called a "dangerous precedent."
- ▪Iran has gained leverage in the conflict by seizing control of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital energy corridor
- ▪The renewed conflict has caused the average U.S. price for a gallon of gasoline to surpass $4
- ▪At least four U.S. service members have been killed in Iranian attacks in Jordan and Iraq in July 2026
- ▪The U.S. and Iran are five months into a war that began after a ceasefire agreement collapsed
Underground facility construction
- ▪The facility is buried at least 100 meters (328 feet) underground, making it difficult to penetrate with bombs
- ▪Construction on the Pickaxe Mountain facility began in 2020 and it is not yet believed to be operational
Iran nuclear program status
- ▪In 2025, the U.S. and Israel bombed Iran's nuclear sites at Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz
- ▪After the 2025 strikes, President Trump claimed Iran's nuclear facilities had been "obliterated."
- ▪Iran had enriched uranium to nearly 60% purity, close to weapons-grade, before the 2025 strikes
U.S. military capabilities
- ▪The U.S. has conducted 11 consecutive nights of air strikes on Iranian military command centers, drone facilities, and logistics infrastructure
- ▪The war with Iran has cost the U.S. $37.5 billion, according to Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth
- ▪The U.S. possesses the GBU-57 "bunker buster" bomb, which can plow through at least 60 meters (200 feet) of earth before detonating
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