Shafaq News- Washington

US President Donald Trump warned that Washington could launch further strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, suggesting American forces could carry out another operation within an hour.

Speaking on Fox News’ Hannity on Monday, Trump referred to Operation Midnight Hammer, the 2025 US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, before raising the possibility of renewed action. “Now we might have to go after Pickaxe, but that’s not a big deal,” he said, referring to Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site. “We can do it. And literally we can do that in one hour.”

Trump defended the earlier operation, accusing Tehran of pursuing nuclear weapons and supporting “terrorism.” Citing the late Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani and alleged Iranian involvement in attacks on American personnel, he said, “We cannot let them have a nuclear weapon.”

He also downplayed the conflict, arguing that Iran was “not [in] a good negotiating position.” “This isn’t a war. This is a very soft war. We did have a big hit on them, and we hit them very hard.”

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Earlier on Monday, the US carried out limited strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island near the Strait of Hormuz, according to The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. US officials described the strikes as defensive measures against Iranian threats to American aircraft, while the Journal reported that other recent operations aimed to prevent attacks on commercial shipping without signaling a broader military campaign.

Iranian media reported several explosions on Qeshm Island, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed to have shot down an advanced US drone and seized two others in separate operations near the Strait of Hormuz.