Iran War Day 231: Trump Says U.S. ‘May Have To’ Strike Pickaxe Mountain

In an interview Thursday, President Trump said the United States may need to strike Pickaxe Mountain, a fortified underground site believed to play a key role in Iran’s nuclear program. “We're looking at Pickaxe Mountain,” the president told Newsmax. “We may have to go there. We'll take a shot at that one. We'll knock it out fast.” Trump also addressed reports that he was considering using the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB; popularly known as the “mother of all bombs”), refusing to rule out the weapon’s deployment against Iranian targets.

On Friday, Saudi military spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki announced the interception of multiple missiles and drones targeting Saudi forces and infrastructure. This follows a deadly Houthi attack Thursday on the presidential palace in Aden, the Saudi-backed government’s de facto capital. Fighting also reportedly continued around Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city, which is currently held by the government but encircled by Houthi forces.

Also on Friday, Iran’s army chief suggested that the Strait of Hormuz could reopen if U.S. forces withdrew. In a post on X, General Mohammad Akraminia wrote that “if America leaves the region, the Strait of Hormuz will reopen and collective security will be established with the participation of the region's countries, and the global economy will improve.” He added that “if [the U.S.] doesn't leave, we'll expel it.” 

Brent crude was trading at around $106 per barrel Friday morning. AAA reports that the average price of regular gasoline in the United States is $4.33 per gallon, and the average price of diesel is $6.33 per gallon.