President Donald Trump has again warned that the United States could strike Iranian bridges, power plants, and the strategic underground site known as Pickaxe Mountain—linked to Tehran’s nuclear program—if no agreement is reached.
Narrow Window for Diplomacy
Meanwhile, Trump told Axios that he wants to see the talks yield results quickly.
“Not much time. Either it goes fast or not at all,” he said.
In the Fox News interview, Trump said he preferred to avoid hitting civilian infrastructure if possible, while warning of the scale of potential military action.
“I can take out most of their bridges in less than an hour … I can knock out the power plants, within one day, all of their power plants will be gone,” he said.
Acknowledging the human toll, he added: “People want me to do that … I think about 91 million people without power, without bridges … it’s a very, very delicate balance. If I can avoid doing that, I’d like to do that.”
He also stressed U.S. leverage: “I think we have a very strong position right now. They know I’m going to do that if they don’t make a deal. We cannot have them break deals anymore.”
Despite the threats, Trump noted that “we have had some very good talks” with Iran.
Pickaxe Mountain
On Pickaxe Mountain—a fortified facility buried deep underground near one of Tehran’s main nuclear sites—Trump was direct.
Asked about activity there, he replied: “I know exactly what’s going on at Pickaxe. It’s not a big problem. We took out their nuclear sites, and we’ll have to take out Pickaxe if we don’t make a deal. We don’t make a deal, we’ll take it out very easily.”
Iran’s Response
Iran’s joint military command rejected any use of its frozen assets to compensate for vessels damaged by Iranian actions in the Gulf. Khatam Al-Anbiya spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaqari warned that any company or country receiving those assets as compensation would be barred from transiting the Strait of Hormuz, according to IRNA News citing state media.
The statement directly countered Trump’s earlier warning on the matter.
Separately, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei reiterated on July 22 that no nuclear activity is taking place at Pickaxe Mountain.
“Iran’s nuclear activities have been fully declared to the IAEA in accordance with its safeguards obligations,” Baqaei said. “No nuclear activity is taking place at Pickaxe Mountain.”
Israeli Minister Confirms U.S. Aircraft Using Israeli Bases
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated on Tuesday, July 28, that U.S. warplanes have taken off from Israeli bases to conduct airstrikes on Iran in recent weeks, Al Jazeera reported.
“They [Iranians] know that American aircraft are taking off from here and refueling aircraft are taking off from here to strike,” Katz told Channel 14.
He added that “the Iranians have been firing at everything apart from one country, the state of Israel.”
Japan Calls for Flexibility and Restraint
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi urged his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, to show “maximum flexibility” to help de-escalate tensions in the Middle East, Al Jazeera reported.
During a phone call, Motegi expressed “deep concern” over the widening damage from the conflict, including effects on neighboring countries. Citing energy security, he also asked Iran to urge Yemen’s Houthi rebels to “exercise restraint” after the group declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia and carried out attacks on commercial vessels.
Kiran Asim is a writer who covers the U.S., Europe, South Asia, and the Middle East. Her reports and analyses look at the geostrategic issues and contemporary developments and their economic and political implications. She also writes about society and education.
