In brief
President Trump said on 21 July that the US would strike the Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site 'pretty soon, and very heavily,' adding 'there's not a thing they can do about it.'
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told the Senate the war has cost $37.5bn so far, with 18 US troops killed and over 400 injured, and requested an additional $67bn from Congress.
US forces struck Iran for the 11th consecutive night, targeting military operations centres, maritime capabilities, drone storage and logistics infrastructure, according to Centcom.
The facility, buried nearly 100 metres inside a mountain 2km from Natanz, has been under construction since 2020 and is not yet operational, experts say; the IAEA has been denied access.
Iran's Khatam Al-Anbiya military command warned that an attack on the site would be 'an expansion of war in the region' and threatened strikes on US allies and interests.
Trump also threatened the Houthis after the group said it would close the Bab al-Mandab strait; Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan intercepted Iranian drone and missile attacks overnight.
- 21 JulTrump threatens to strike Pickaxe Mountain; Hegseth reveals $37.5bn war cost.
- 21 JulUS launches 11th consecutive night of strikes on Iranian military targets.
- 22 JulKuwait, Bahrain and Jordan intercept drone and missile attacks from Iran.
Escalating threats
President Trump said on Tuesday that the US would strike the Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site "pretty soon, and very heavily," during a White House meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. He added that he would not normally announce targets but "there's not a thing they can do about it." Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed the threat, telling the Senate that if Iran shoots at commercial shipping, "we're going to hit them, as the president said, 10 times harder."
“We'll be hitting that area pretty soon, and very heavily.”
The cost of war
Hegseth, appearing before the Senate, estimated the financial toll of the five-month war at $37.5bn and requested an additional $67bn from Congress. He also disclosed that at least 18 American troops have died and more than 400 have been injured since the conflict began. The war resumed last week after an April ceasefire collapsed over control of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global oil shipments.
What is Pickaxe Mountain?
The site, known locally as Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La, is about 2km from the Natanz uranium enrichment facility and buried nearly 100 metres inside a mountain. Construction began in 2020 after sabotage at Natanz, and Iran's then nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi said it would house a "modern, larger and more comprehensive hall" for centrifuge production. Experts say the facility is not yet operational and likely serves as deep underground storage. The International Atomic Energy Agency has not been granted access, and its director general, Rafael Grossi, has repeatedly pressed Iran on the matter.
Regional fallout
The US launched strikes for the 11th consecutive night, targeting military operations centres, maritime capabilities, drone storage and logistics infrastructure. Iran activated air defences in Tehran and reported explosions in Tabriz, Chabahar, Konarak and Bushehr, home to the country's only nuclear power plant. Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan intercepted drone and missile attacks from Iran. Centcom accused Iran of attacking more than 30 commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz over the past three months, endangering "hundreds of innocent mariners."
Houthi dimension
Trump also threatened to "take care of" the Houthi rebels if the Iran-backed group blockaded Saudi ports. A Houthi media official said they were closing the Bab al-Mandab strait, a key alternative to Hormuz. Iran's Khatam Al-Anbiya military command warned that an attack on Pickaxe Mountain would be "an expansion of war in the region" and threatened strikes on "all the interests of America, the allies and supporters."