Trump Warns of US Strike on Iran's Pickaxe Mountain

President Donald Trump on September 5, 2026, signaled that the United States may soon launch a military strike on Iran's heavily fortified Pickaxe Mountain site, a secretive underground facility near the Natanz nuclear complex. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump described the ongoing U.S. military campaign against Iran as a "military conflict" that is "small potatoes" for the United States, while warning that American forces are closely monitoring activity at the site and could act if necessary. Trump's remarks came a day after Vice President JD Vance characterized the situation as a conflict rather than a war, noting there was no active large-scale fighting. When pressed by a reporter about the distinction, Trump said, "I call it a military conflict because it's small potatoes for us. It's not a big thing." He compared the current engagement to the brief U.S. operation in Venezuela in January, which he said lasted about an hour and resulted in no American casualties. Trump stated that the U.S.