Trump Says US May Have To Target Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain If No Deal Is Reached, Claims Operation Could Be Done “In Literally One Hour”

The Wall Street Journal reports a clandestine US operation on Iran’s Qeshm Island, shortly after Trump said a deal with Tehran remained possible

PGurus Newsdesk

November 3, 2026

Trump calls Iran the leading state sponsor of terror and says it will not be allowed a nuclear weapon, while keeping diplomacy and force both open

Trump says earlier strikes had already weakened Iran’s military and nuclear capabilities, and that Pickaxe is the site Washington may have to go after

US President Donald Trump on Monday (local time) said the United States might have to target Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain if Tehran fails to reach a deal with Washington to end the conflict in West Asia, asserting that American forces could carry out such an operation “in literally one hour.”

Speaking to Fox News ahead of the US midterm elections, Trump said earlier US military operations had already significantly weakened Iran’s military and nuclear capabilities. He said the Midnight Hammer strikes had taken out Iran’s potential nuclear power, and that Pickaxe was the remaining site Washington might have to go after, calling it “not a big deal.”

Trump said preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons remains a key objective of his administration. He described Tehran as the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism for the last 50 years, and said Iran had killed many American soldiers and other people.

Claiming that Iran’s military had been substantially degraded, Trump said its navy, air force and air defence systems were “gone.” He said Tehran retains some missiles and drones but has little capacity to build more.

Trump sought to separate the present situation from a war, saying “there’s no war raging.” He said further action could follow if Iran did not make a deal, but added that Tehran wants one very badly, and the US is negotiating from a position of strength. He said he would prefer a diplomatic settlement to save lives.

The remarks come after reports of fresh US military activity. According to The Wall Street Journal, the United States carried out a clandestine operation targeting Iran’s Qeshm Island on Monday, as part of a series of limited attacks on Tehran in recent weeks. The report came shortly after Trump indicated that an agreement remained achievable.

Earlier, US conservative commentator Tucker Carlson claimed in a post on X on Sunday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was pressuring the Trump administration to consider a nuclear strike on Pickaxe Mountain, where Israeli intelligence allegedly believes Iran has restarted its nuclear enrichment programme. Carlson alleged the administration could be days away from such a decision. Trump did not mention a nuclear strike in his remarks to Fox News, and the White House has not responded to the claim in the reports available so far.

For all the latest updates, download PGurus App.