War

President Donald Trump said Monday that US forces will hit the Pickaxe Mountain area, located near Iran’s already heavily damaged Natanz uranium enrichment facility, very heavily in the near future. Trump had threatened the site last week, saying the United States was going to take out Pickaxe Mountain, a heavily fortified location tied to Iran’s nuclear program that contains two deeply buried tunnel complexes. He also said Tuesday that Tehran wanted to meet desperately, adding that Washington has no interest until Iran shows readiness to engage in a meaningful way. Facing mounting political pressure at home over rising gasoline prices since the war began, and with Iran having effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, Trump defended the latest strikes as a response to the deaths of American service members killed in recent Iranian attacks. He wrote on social media Monday that Iran will pay many times over every time it kills an American soldier, saying he had passed the directive to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs Chairman Daniel Caine and every military leader. The broader conflict has killed thousands of civilians, most of them in Iran and Lebanon, where Israeli forces have occupied part of the country following attacks by Hezbollah fighters who said they acted in solidarity with Tehran. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met Trump at the White House Tuesday, thanking him for what he called a historic achievement in signing a Lebanon Israel framework agreement. Aoun said he had looked forward to the visit for a long time and that the region is due for stability and security. Trump said he would speak with Hezbollah if Aoun wanted him to, noting he has already communicated with the group through intermediaries in June and secured a pledge that it would not attack Israel, a first for any US president given Hezbollah’s designation as a terrorist organization. Trump also addressed threats from Yemen’s Houthi movement to block Red Sea shipping, saying the United States would take care of business if the group follows through on a naval blockade. Two oil tankers carrying Saudi crude toward Asia reversed course in the Red Sea Tuesday after Houthi threats, diverting toward the Suez Canal, though Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea port of Yanbu continued operating normally. The Houthis said Monday they were imposing an immediate maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia, citing what they called an unjust and oppressive siege imposed on Yemen for nearly 12 years. The Saudi led coalition in Yemen said it would respond with force and began protective measures for ships transiting the Bab el Mandeb Strait, a critical route for Saudi oil exports following the effective closure of Hormuz. Yemen’s defence minister said separately that the government’s army stood ready to end what he called the Houthi coup, while clashes between government forces and Houthi fighters have resumed in parts of the country. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said two oil tankers exploded after attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz via an unsafe route, a claim that followed a similar Sunday statement describing an accident involving two vessels in the same area, though it remains unclear whether the incidents were connected. A separate vessel was struck by an unidentified projectile off Oman’s coast near the strait, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency. Inside Iran, explosions were reported in Tabriz, Chabahar, Konarak, Bandar Mahshahr and Bandar Imam Khomeini, with one person killed and several wounded southwest of Tabriz, state media reported. Iran’s Guards said they targeted US aircraft at Jordan’s Aqaba airport with ballistic missiles, along with military assets at Kuwait’s Al Adiri camp and Ali Al Salem Air Base, and additional positions in Syria. Air raid sirens sounded repeatedly in Bahrain throughout Monday, and Kuwait’s army said early Tuesday that its air defenses had again intercepted Iranian drones. Kuwait also said Iran struck its power and desalination infrastructure for a fourth consecutive day, sparking fires at several critical facilities that authorities have since extinguished while damage assessments and repairs continue. The United Arab Emirates condemned Iranian strikes on Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan as a flagrant violation of sovereignty and pledged full solidarity with the three nations. A separate vessel was struck by an unknown projectile off the UAE coast near Dibba, damaging its steering gear, though all crew members remained safe. Iranian state media quoted a military source as saying the Strait of Hormuz will stay closed as long as US strikes continue, with the source describing the waterway as fully under Iranian military control. Iran’s Guards also claimed a strike on central data infrastructure belonging to Amazon in Bahrain, a claim that could not be independently verified. Amid the widening conflict, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations called Tuesday for maximum restraint and an immediate halt to hostilities between Washington and Tehran, warning that continued fighting undermines mediation efforts and diminishes prospects for a peaceful resolution. A senior Iranian official said Tehran had received a proposal from mediators for a ten day ceasefire aimed at salvaging the interim agreement reached in June, though no further details were provided. Pakistani officials said Iran’s interior minister had asked Islamabad to resume its mediation role, and he later traveled to Pakistan for additional talks, continuing a diplomatic effort that Pakistan and Qatar have led since the earlier memorandum of understanding was signed. Separately, Britain’s new government faces pressure from Washington to maintain American access to strategic military bases including RAF Fairford and the Diego Garcia base on Chagos Island, according to a British newspaper report, with Trump said to be pressing new Prime Minister Andy Burnham on the issue shortly after Burnham took office this week.