Trump threatens to 'take out' Iran's Pickaxe Mountain site and hit the country 'very hard' in Hugh Hewitt interview

During an interview with conservative talk show host Hugh Hewitt, President Trump said the U.S. would 'take out' Pickaxe Mountain, a deeply buried site near Iran's Natanz nuclear facility that analysts suspect could be a uranium enrichment site. He warned, 'We're going to hit them very hard tonight and we're going to hit them hard tomorrow and there's not a damn thing they can do about it.' The threat came amid escalating U.S.-Iran hostilities over the Strait of Hormuz, with the U.S. launching a third consecutive night of strikes and reinstating a naval blockade on Iranian ports. Trump also declared the U.S. would control the strait and charge a 20% fee on cargo shipments, while Iran claimed it had closed the waterway. This marks a new phase of escalation, with Trump naming a specific nuclear facility target and asserting unilateral control over the Strait of Hormuz, distinct from earlier threats focused on the waterway.

“We're going to take out Pickaxe Mountain. Tell the Iranians to be ready.” Quote verified against source