Two Iran Nuclear Sites Remaining as US Weighs Strikes
President Donald Trump confirmed the United States is weighing military action against one or two remaining targets in Iran, explicitly identifying a suspected underground nuclear complex at Pickaxe Mountain. Global financial markets and commercial maritime operators face severe ongoing disruption as Tehran maintains transit restrictions across the Strait of Hormuz alongside explicit warnings of regional military escalation.
Iran Threatens Unrestricted Reprisals as Hormuz Blockade Holds
A commercial vessel traversing the Strait of Hormuz struck a naval mine and caught fire on Saturday, illustrating the immediate volatility along a maritime corridor that routinely carries roughly one-fifth of global oil consumption. The Iranian government has additionally threatened the potential disruption of undersea telecommunications cables laid along the waterway.
Speaking to reporters at his Florida residence, Trump stated that US forces have already decimated much of Iran’s military and primary nuclear infrastructure, adding that remaining target operations could be executed rapidly. Iranian officials denied carrying out any nuclear activity at the Pickaxe Mountain site. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted that no final decision regarding fresh strikes has been confirmed and that Washington remains open to diplomatic channels, supported by mediation efforts involving Qatar.
In response to potential attacks following upcoming elections in both the US and Israel, Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei instructed military commanders to expand target options to encompass all tangible and intangible American and Israeli assets. Khamenei declared that any aggression would trigger an immediate, impactful, and geographically unrestricted response. The meeting marked his first reported assembly with top military commanders since assuming leadership in March.
The current hostilities trace directly back to the military offensive launched by the United States and Israel in February, which resulted in the death of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
