U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington could launch an attack on Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain facility “very soon.” Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said he could not provide a timeline for when the ongoing conflict with Iran would end.
Rather than describing the events as a war, Trump used the term “military conflict” and characterized it as a “small matter” for the United States. The president said Washington had carried out “intermittent attacks” against Iran and that there had been no active fighting for several days before the latest attack.
Trump said Iranian radar systems had recently been targeted and that the United States knew about people moving in the Pickaxe Mountain area and developments across Iran. He did not provide further information about when the facility could be targeted.
Trump comments on operations in the Strait of Hormuz
Trump claimed that the United States was controlling traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and carrying out attacks against Iran’s military capabilities. He said Iranian radars, aircraft and other systems protecting the strategic waterway had been destroyed.
The president also said mine-sweeping vessels were clearing mines from the Strait of Hormuz. Trump made the remarks as he assessed Iran’s military capabilities in the region.
Trump makes claim about Iran’s nuclear capabilities
Trump argued that U.S. intervention had prevented Iran from developing nuclear weapons and ensured the protection of Israel and the broader Middle East. Saying that Iran would not be able to possess a nuclear weapon, Trump claimed that the United States had largely achieved its main objective in the conflict.
Trump also claimed that even if the United States withdrew from the conflict immediately, it would take Iran 25 years to rebuild the country.
