Trump Considers Seizing Iranian Islands and Bombing Pickaxe Mountain, Officials Say

Verified key facts

• Trump is considering intensified airstrikes, seizing Iranian islands near Hormuz, and bombing Pickaxe Mountain, US officials told the Wall Street Journal
• A Situation Room meeting discussed the possible seizure of Kharg Island and other territory along the strait, per the WSJ report
• Trump said 'We're going to take out Pickaxe Mountain. Tell the Iranians to be ready' on the Hugh Hewitt Show on 13 July
• Pickaxe Mountain, near Natanz, is a deeply buried site suspected of covert nuclear work and has never been struck by the US
• Reuters reported officials believe recent strikes have strengthened Trump's options for further escalation

President Donald Trump is weighing a major expansion of the war against Iran, including deploying ground forces to seize Iranian islands near the Strait of Hormuz and bombing the fortified Pickaxe Mountain site. The options, first reported by the Wall Street Journal and picked up by Reuters and The Week, would push the conflict beyond the air and naval campaign that has defined it so far.

The options on the table

US officials told the Wall Street Journal that Trump has spent days in briefings with senior advisers on expanded operations. Three broad options are under consideration: intensifying airstrikes, landing forces to seize Iranian islands commanding the Strait of Hormuz, and striking a heavily fortified site suspected of covert nuclear activity.

The Journal reported that a White House Situation Room meeting discussed the possible seizure of Kharg Island and other territories along the strait. Kharg handles the overwhelming majority of Iran's crude exports, making it both an economic chokepoint and a heavily defended prize. Seeking Alpha noted that markets read the report as a signal of high-stakes escalation risk.

What is Pickaxe Mountain?

Pickaxe Mountain, known in Iran as Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La, is a deeply buried complex near the Natanz enrichment site. Al Jazeera published an explainer this week describing it as a mystery facility that Western analysts suspect could house covert nuclear work. It has never been targeted by the United States, and its tunnels are believed to run deeper than those destroyed at Fordow.

Trump has made no secret of his interest. 'We're going to take out Pickaxe Mountain. Tell the Iranians to be ready,' he said in a 13 July interview on the Hugh Hewitt Show, remarks reported by The Hill. The IAEA has said it has no confirmed knowledge of the site's contents, since inspectors lost access to much of Iran's programme earlier this year.

Why islands, and why now

Seizing islands would mark the first sustained use of American ground forces in this war. The islands near Hormuz, including Greater Tunb, where the US has already struck coastal defences, host anti-ship missile batteries that Tehran uses to threaten tankers. CNN reported earlier strikes on Greater Tunb aimed at exactly those capabilities.

Reuters reported that officials believe five days of strikes have degraded Iranian air defences enough to strengthen Trump's hand for new escalation. Advocates argue that holding the islands would reopen the strait without occupying the mainland. Critics counter that American troops on Iranian soil would harden Tehran's resolve and could trigger attacks far beyond the Gulf.

• Option one: intensified airstrikes on infrastructure and leadership targets
• Option two: ground forces seize Kharg Island or islands near the Strait of Hormuz
• Option three: bunker-busting strikes on the Pickaxe Mountain tunnel complex
• Each option risks crossing what Tehran calls its 'invincible red line' in the strait

Tehran's red lines and likely response

Iranian officials have anticipated exactly this debate. Army spokesman Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia said Iran would never allow America to interfere in the Strait of Hormuz, calling it an 'invincible red line', per CNBC and Reuters. An Iranian army spokesman separately warned that attacks on Iran's infrastructure would be answered by strikes to 'crush' infrastructure across the Gulf, Al Jazeera reported.

Iran's lead negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf described the conflict as existential while leaving a door open to diplomacy, according to the New York Times. An amphibious operation or a Pickaxe Mountain strike would likely slam that door, analysts quoted by regional outlets argue, and could push Iran toward unrestrained attacks on Gulf energy facilities.

The stakes for the region and beyond

A ground seizure of Iranian territory would transform the war's legal and political character. Gulf states already absorbing Iranian missile fire would face pressure to host a larger American footprint. Oil markets, with Brent already elevated by the Hormuz crisis, would price in a longer conflict. Insurers have pushed war-risk premiums to about five percent of hull value, the Insurance Journal reported.

There is also the nuclear dimension. Striking Pickaxe Mountain without inspectors on the ground means acting on incomplete intelligence. The IAEA has lost continuity of knowledge over Iran's declared nuclear inventories at every site except Bushehr since February, according to agency reporting to the Security Council.

What to watch

No decision has been announced, and officials told the Journal the options remain under review. Signals to watch include movements of amphibious ready groups, additional bunker-buster deployments to Diego Garcia, and Trump's own public statements. His Pickaxe Mountain warning suggests the threat is at least partly a pressure tactic aimed at the stalled 60-day negotiation track.

Whether pressure or prelude, the report confirms the war has reached a decision point. The next American move will determine if this remains a limited campaign or becomes something much larger.

Sources

• The Week - Trump considers seizing Iranian islands, striking Pickaxe Mountain (16 Jul 2026)
• ProtoThema English - WSJ: Trump considers expanding strikes on Iran, Pickaxe Mountain and Kharg Island (16 Jul 2026)
• The Hill - Trump hints at strike on Iran's Pickaxe Mountain nuclear facility (14 Jul 2026)
• Al Jazeera - What is Iran's Pickaxe Mountain, the mystery site Trump warns he'll attack? (14 Jul 2026)