US has to 'take care' of one or two Iran targets - Trump

Donald Trump said the United States had already knocked out much of Iran’s military and nuclear program. However, he said one or two targets still needed to be dealt with. His comments identified remaining sites as possible obstacles to his claim that the campaign had largely succeeded.

The clearest example was Pickaxe Mountain. Trump called it a suspected underground nuclear complex and said it was one location that still needed attention. He said the United States could attack the remaining sites quickly, rather than suggesting a prolonged operation.

The precise number remains uncertain because Trump used the phrase “one or two sites.” Iran’s government denies that nuclear work takes place at Pickaxe Mountain. The disagreement matters because further strikes could affect negotiations, while the United States says diplomatic discussions with Iran are still continuing.

Pickaxe Mountain is the name Donald Trump used for a suspected Iranian nuclear site. The article describes it as an underground complex, meaning key facilities are believed to be beneath the ground. Iran’s government rejects the claim that nuclear work is carried out there.

The article does not identify the evidence behind the suspicion or describe the site’s exact purpose. In general, countries may place sensitive facilities underground because earth and reinforced structures can shield them from observation and attacks. That general explanation does not prove what happens at Pickaxe Mountain.

Its importance comes from Trump’s statement that the site was among one or two remaining targets. He said the United States could deal with it quickly. The dispute over the site adds uncertainty to negotiations and raises the possibility of renewed military action.

Trump gave an estimate rather than a precise count. He said the United States still had to deal with “one or two sites” in Iran. That wording leaves open whether one site or two sites remained, with Pickaxe Mountain named as a likely example.

He also described the possible operation as very fast. Trump told reporters that the United States could deal with the remaining sites “in 10 minutes.” The statement presented the targets as limited and the action as technically straightforward, despite the sites’ suspected underground nature.

The article does not explain whether “10 minutes” meant the duration of an attack, the time needed to reach the targets, or the time needed to complete the broader operation. Trump’s comments came while negotiations were continuing and while officials said no decision had been made about fresh strikes.

Trump claimed that the United States had knocked out much of Iran’s military. He also said the United States had decimated Iran’s military and nuclear program, and stated that it had “knocked out their nuclear.” These are the main destruction claims described in the article.

The article gives no independent assessment of those claims. It does report a direct Iranian response about Pickaxe Mountain. Iran’s government says that no nuclear work is carried out at the suspected underground complex Trump named as a remaining target.

That leaves a sharp disagreement between the two governments. Trump presents Iran’s military and nuclear program as heavily damaged but says one or two sites still need attention. Iran rejects the nuclear characterization of Pickaxe Mountain. The disagreement could complicate diplomacy while the threat of additional strikes remains.

The United States and Iran are discussing negotiations because diplomacy remains a possible way to end the conflict. The article says the United States and Israel began the war at the end of February. It also says US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the United States as open to a diplomatic solution.

At the same time, military pressure has not disappeared. Trump said talks were going fine but added that Iran was not very reliable. He also said the United States was not in a hurry because Iran’s military and nuclear program had been heavily damaged. Rubio said Trump had not decided on fresh strikes.

This creates a mixed strategy: negotiations continue while attacks remain possible. Iran’s supreme leader warned the United States and Israel against new attacks. Trump has also warned of possible action after the US midterms, saying he was weighing whether to “finish them off.”

A new US strike could make negotiations harder by reducing trust between the parties. Talks require each side to believe that the other will honor commitments or at least pause escalation. If attacks resume, Iran could view diplomacy as cover for more military pressure rather than a genuine path toward ending the war.

The article gives a clear example of the tension. Rubio said Trump had not decided on fresh strikes and that the United States was open to diplomacy. Yet Trump said one or two sites remained to be dealt with, while Iran’s supreme leader warned against new attacks. These positions leave little room for certainty.

The wider war could also expand or continue if Iran responds to a strike. That is a general risk of renewed military action, not a stated prediction in the article. The immediate reality is that negotiations remain active while both sides prepare for possible escalation.

A country might build a nuclear-related facility underground to protect sensitive equipment, materials, or operations. The underground setting can reduce visibility and add physical protection. It may also make outside monitoring and accurate targeting more difficult. These are general reasons, not details the article specifically attributes to Iran.

The key mechanism is shielding. Layers of earth and possibly reinforced construction can absorb or weaken the effects of attacks. They can also conceal the facility’s layout and make it harder to know whether an attack has destroyed everything inside. The article calls Pickaxe Mountain an underground complex but does not describe its construction.

That underground location helps explain why Trump singled out the site as still needing attention, despite claiming that Iran’s nuclear program had been knocked out. However, the article does not confirm that nuclear work occurs there. Iran’s government denies that any nuclear work is carried out at Pickaxe Mountain.