“Small Potatoes for Us”: Trump Threatens Strike on Iran’s Nuclear Mountain

Donald Trump says the United States could soon strike Pickaxe Mountain, a heavily guarded site near Iran’s damaged Natanz nuclear facility, even as he dismisses the conflict with Tehran as little more than a manageable military clash.

Speaking at the White House on Friday, Trump said Washington was not involved in a massive battle with Iran. “Many people don’t call it a war,” he said, describing the fighting as “a simple matter for us” and “not a big deal.” Vice President JD Vance made similar remarks, saying the conflict should not currently be considered a war because large-scale fighting had stopped.

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Many people don’t call it a war.

Trump nevertheless left open the possibility of another major U.S. attack. Asked about Pickaxe Mountain, he said he knew Iran’s movements and was hitting the country hard. The site, located near the wrecked Natanz uranium enrichment facility, is believed to contain two deeply buried tunnel systems and to be heavily protected.

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A simple matter for us.

Trump also said the U.S. military now controlled the Strait of Hormuz and had cleared it of mines. He argued that the waterway was becoming less important as new oil routes and pipelines were developed across the Middle East.

The military pressure is accompanied by an economic campaign. The U.S. Treasury sanctioned three Turkey-based companies identified as linked to Iran, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said another bank could face sanctions as soon as the following week. Bessent said Iranian oil shipments had been stranded on tankers and had not reached China through the strait because of the naval blockade. “We will strangle them economically,” he said, describing Washington’s intended approach to Tehran.

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We will strangle them economically.