US President Trump on Tuesday once again threatened to attack Iran's nuclear-linked Pickaxe Mountain if the United States and Iran failed to reach an agreement.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump said he was well aware of the situation at Iran's Pickaxe Mountain facility and that if the U.S. and Iran failed to hammer out an agreement, the Pickaxe Mountain facility would have to be destroyed.
The mountain is located near the Natanz enrichment facility in Isfahan Province in central Iran and is considered one of Iran's most fortified underground facilities.
Trump first issued threats to strike Pickaxe Mountain "very soon" and "very heavily" on July 21, following days of mutual strikes between the U.S. and Iran.
The threats followed reports, citing Israeli intelligence assessments, that Iran may have moved advanced uranium-enrichment centrifuges into the underground complex.
In response, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei on July 22 denied any nuclear activities were taking place at the facility, stating that Washington was obsessed with the facility solely to concoct a pretext for aggression against Iran.
In another development, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Tuesday that more than 20 warships are currently deployed across the Middle East to support its military operations, including the strict enforcement of the U.S. naval blockade against Iran.
CENTCOM said as of Tuesday, U.S. forces had diverted 18 merchant ships, rendered two vessels inoperable, and boarded and inspected two others.
