'We'll knock it out fast': Trump threatens Iran's Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site with strikes

US President Donald Trump confirmed during an interview with Newsmax on Thursday that the United States is considering targeting Iran's Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site with a future strike. Trump stated that they may "take a shot at that one" and assured that the attack would be swift, saying, "We'll knock it out fast."

He emphasized that there are no plans for US ground forces to participate in such an attack, reaffirming, "No, I don't see that. I don't see that."

However, Trump did not confirm earlier reports that the US would employ the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb (MOAB), also known as the "mother of all bombs," to strike Iran. He clarified that the MOAB is a non-nuclear weapon, describing it as "like a tiny nuclear bomb. The mother of all bombs is one big bomb, but it's not nuclear."

Earlier, CNN reported that US officials believed the MOAB would be used against Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites, including Pickaxe Mountain. Trump also discussed the potential end of the war with Iran, stating that if the US withdrew within the next year, it might need to return again. He expressed a desire to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, believing that if they had them, they would use them "instantaneously."

Trump expressed confidence that the war would conclude soon, stating, "The Iran war will be over very soon. It's going to end very soon." He added that Iran was currently negotiating with the US and that they had requested the US to cease hostilities, which the US would comply with as they are engaged in negotiations with Iran.