Donald Trump has threatened to target an underground Iranian nuclear facility known as Pickaxe Mountain, warning that the US will hit it “pretty soon, and very heavily” – as American warplanes carried out an 11th consecutive night of strikes across Iran.
The US president’s threat came during a White House meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, where he said he would not normally announce targets but “there’s not a thing they can do about it”. The facility, near the Natanz enrichment complex, is suspected by US intelligence of housing an undeclared enrichment plant.
“US strikes Iran for 11th night; Trump vows to hit underground nuclear site; oil prices surge.”
US Central Command said the latest wave of strikes was “designed to continue degrading Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping” in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state media reported air defences were activated in Tehran, and explosions were heard in Tabriz, Chabahar, Konarak and Bushehr – the city that hosts Iran’s only nuclear power plant.
Iran’s Khatam Al-Anbiya military command warned it would consider an attack on Pickaxe Mountain “as an expansion of war in the region” and threatened strikes on “all the interests of America, the allies and supporters”, according to state broadcaster IRIB.
The escalation has drawn in regional allies. Kuwait’s army said its air defences were engaging drone attacks from Iran early on Wednesday. Bahrain and Jordan also reported intercepting drone and missile strikes. The Jordanian army said it intercepted four Iranian missiles, with two more falling in uninhabited areas without causing casualties.
Meanwhile, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels announced a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia at the mouth of the Red Sea, threatening to target shipping tankers using Saudi ports. The move could open a new front in the conflict, as the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked and Saudi Arabia has been relying on a pipeline to the Red Sea to export oil.
The price of oil has jumped, with Brent crude trading at $92.09 a barrel – its highest since 11 June – and West Texas Intermediate climbing to $85.23. The US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, said the war has cost $37.5bn so far, an increase of nearly $8bn since the last estimate. More than 500 US personnel have been wounded, the Associated Press reported.
Diplomatic efforts have continued. Iranian interior minister Eskandar Momeni visited Pakistan, a key mediator, but it was unclear what new arrangement might be reached. US secretary of state Marco Rubio said Washington remained willing to engage in diplomacy but did not believe Iran was serious about talks.
The conflict, which resumed last week after a brief ceasefire in April, is now centred on control of the Strait of Hormuz. Centcom accused Iran of attacking “more than 30 commercial vessels” in the waterway over the past three months, endangering “hundreds of innocent mariners”. It insisted the strait remained open for transit.
Trump also announced he would authorise the resumption of direct flights by US airlines to Lebanon, suspended since the 1985 TWA hijacking – a rare conciliatory gesture amid a war that shows no sign of abating.
