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Trump says US may strike Iran's 'Pickaxe Mountain' nuclear facility
The SCMP Economy links the renewed strike talk to Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz and recent fuel price spikes after a ceasefire collapsed.
SCMP Economy reports that Donald Trump has renewed calls for US strikes on Iran, saying a target known as Pickaxe Mountain, also identified as Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La, could be hit. The outlet notes that Trump and the White House previously said US strikes on Iran’s largest nuclear facilities last year had destroyed the country’s nuclear programme, with the White House also using language about “obliteration.” A year later, the US and Iran are described as being in the fifth month of a war that Trump said would end within weeks. SCMP Economy also points to Iran’s seizure of control of the Strait of Hormuz, a key energy corridor, as part of the leverage Iran has gained. It says the US has been pushed back toward negotiations as global fuel prices spiked, including again this week after a ceasefire agreement collapsed. Finally, the report ties Trump’s current stance to mounting criticism that he has expanded a “forever war” despite campaigning against it, adding that the president said on a radio show that the US would “take out Pickaxe Mountain” and urged Iran to be ready.