Trump threatens new Iran strikes, eyes Pickaxe Mountain near Natanz
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
President Donald Trump accused “fake news” media of wanting the US to lose the war with Iran During the Monday interview He defended the military campaign with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt and threatened a new wave of attacks on Tehran.
Trump argued that a large part of the Iranian army was destroyed, but he continued to receive positive news.
“All they do is talk and they have the fake press. They do a very good job with the fake press, because the fake news wants us to lose,” Trump said.
TRUMP HAS IRAN ON THE TOP ROPE – AND CRITICS STILL HAVEN’T GOT HIS SUPERIOR
President Donald Trump blamed “fake news” for wanting the United States to lose the war with Iran in an interview with Hugh Hewitt. (Getty Images)
The president singled out the New York Times, claiming that the newspaper had recently reported that Iran was in a stronger position than it was before the US-Israeli military operation began.
“I mean, it’s not even The New York Times, I mean, they said this a week ago; I can’t imagine them saying this now, but think about it. They don’t have a Navy, they don’t have an Air Force, they don’t have anything. They don’t have an army, they don’t have anything,” Trump said.
While he continued his criticism of the Times, he also touched on what he described as rising inflation in Iran.
TRUMP’S ‘ECONOMIC RAGE’ IS STRESSING IRAN – BUT CAN TEHRAN WITHSTAND THE PRESSURE?
Trump criticized the New York Times for claiming that Iran is better off despite the depletion of its military capabilities. (AP Photo/IDF)
“And the Times said, meanwhile, their inflation went from 5% to 301%. They said, ‘Oh, they’re doing better than they were four months before I started,'” Trump said.
Trump did not identify the Times article he was referring to or its author.
The president warned that additional American strikes were imminent following renewed missile and drone attacks between the two countries.
“We’re going to hit them hard tonight, we’re going to hit them hard tomorrow, and there’s nothing they can do about it,” Trump said.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE NEWS ON MEDIA AND CULTURE
Trump threatened additional strikes against Iran and said the United States could target the underground Mount Kazma complex “relatively soon.” (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Trump took particular note of Mount Kazma, a heavily fortified underground complex near Iran’s damaged Natanz uranium enrichment facility.
“The pickaxe is a possible target, you know, a possible target for a nice, big shot right by the front door,” he said.
The president said American surveillance capabilities were monitoring the region and claimed that Iran was not pursuing nuclear development there.
“We’re watching closely. We’re not seeing any activity there. They’re not doing very well with nuclear. Every time we hear about it, we blow it up, so they don’t like to talk about it, but we’ll probably give Kazma a shot relatively soon,” Trump said.
According to Reuters, Kazma Mountain contains two deeply buried tunnel complexes that experts assess are beyond the reach of the powerful bunker-busting bombs in the U.S. arsenal.
International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors were never given access to Mount Kazma. Analysis of satellite imagery from late June showed vehicle activity near the area’s western tunnel entrances, with ongoing construction or fortification work likely.
Trump also argued that Iran’s leaders cannot be trusted with nuclear weapons.
“Frankly, if they had a nuclear weapon, they would use it within a day,” Trump said.
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION
Trump’s remarks came after the US Central Command announced on Tuesday that it would restart the blockade of ships going to or coming from Iranian ports. The military said humanitarian aid shipments would be allowed but warned that force could be used against ships that do not comply with the rules.
