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Trump says US may need to strike Iran's Pickaxe Mountain

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Cite

The Straits Times. (2026, October 16). Trump says US may need to strike Iran's Pickaxe Mountain. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/world/middle-east/trump-says-us-may-need-to-strike-irans-pickaxe-mountain

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

The Straits Times · collected 2026-10-16 · by The Straits Times

Quick Summary

President Donald Trump told Newsmax that the United States may need to strike Pickaxe Mountain, an underground facility linked to Iran's nuclear program. During the interview on October 16, Trump emphasized his commitment to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons but stated he would not use a nuclear weapon in any conflict with Iran. He also noted there is no current plan for deploying U.S. ground troops in Iran and did not confirm whether he had authorized using the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb against Iranian sites.
Written by AI on 2026-10-16, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

As of October 16, 2026, President Donald Trump is considering targeting Pickaxe Mountain, a fortified facility near one of Iran's nuclear sites, in response to the ongoing conflict which began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February. According to reports from multiple outlets including CNN and Reuters, the Pentagon has developed plans for using the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB), also known as the "mother of all bombs," against Iranian targets like energy infrastructure and nuclear sites. However, Trump did not confirm whether he had authorized this specific weapon or any military action at Pickaxe Mountain during an interview with Newsmax on October 15.

The conflict has reached a deadlock, with diplomatic efforts to resolve it stalled since the summer. Despite considering significant military options, Trump ruled out using nuclear weapons and deploying US ground troops in Iran. The potential use of MOAB raises concerns about its efficacy against deeply buried facilities like Pickaxe Mountain and possible civilian casualties.

Trump's actions are influenced by his desire to boost approval ratings ahead of November’s midterm elections, amid growing public discontent over the war's impact on fuel prices and other economic factors. Officials also express doubts about whether such a powerful conventional weapon could effectively neutralize Iran's deeply buried nuclear infrastructure.

Written for “US Considers Mother Of All Bombs Against Iran” on 2026-11-01, grounded in this article and the 11 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 US Considers Mother Of All Bombs Against Iran
Politics · 12 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 13% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
'We'll knock it out fast': Trump may target Iran's Pickaxe Mountain nuclear facility Same event
Times of India
Hedges 6 of 18 claims Outlet record 59/100
‘Like a tiny nuclear bomb’: Trump details proposed heavy ordnance against Iran Same event
Washington Examiner
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 0 of 3 claims Outlet record 70/100
Trump banking on ‘swift end’ of Iran war to bring down fuel prices Different event
Dawn
Hedges 2 of 28 claims Outlet record 72/100
“The articles refer to different aspects of the ongoing conflict with Iran, one focusing on Trump's prediction of a swift end and oil price drop, while the other discusses potential military strikes on Pickaxe Mountain.”
US considers hitting Iran with 'Mother of All Bombs': report Different event
Dawn
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 1 of 9 claims Outlet record 72/100
“While both articles discuss potential US military action against Iran and mention Trump's stance, they refer to different specifics (Mother of All Bombs vs. Pickaxe Mountain) and are reported on separate days.”
U.S. considers hitting Iran with 'Mother of All Bombs': report Different event
The Hindu
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 1 of 10 claims Outlet record 77/100
“The articles discuss related topics but describe different events - one regarding consideration to use the Mother of All Bombs against Iran, and another about Trump's comments on potentially targeting Pickaxe Mountain.”
Trump considers using largest non-nuclear bomb against Iran as president faces pressure to end the war: report Different event
Daily Mail
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 10 of 23 claims Outlet record 68/100
“While both articles discuss Trump considering military action against Iran, Article A specifically mentions the use of a MOAB bomb and focuses on plans by the Pentagon to deploy it. Article B refers to targeting Pickaxe Mountain but does not mention the specific weapon or detailed plans.”
Trump threatens to drop ‘the mother of all bombs’ on Iran in major escalation Different event
The Independent
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 4 of 19 claims Outlet record 59/100
“The articles discuss similar threats by Trump against Iran but refer to different locations and times.”
White House prepares plans to use "mother of all bombs" on Iran Different event
CBS News
⚖️ Leans right Hedges 0 of 7 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A discusses prepared plans to use a MOAB bomb on Iran, while Article B quotes Trump about potentially targeting Pickaxe Mountain and rules out using nuclear weapons.”
Trump's MOAB threat could put Iran's deepest bunkers in America's crosshairs Different event
Fox News
Hedges 4 of 33 claims Outlet record 69/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of Trump's statements regarding potential military action against Iran and do not clearly refer to the exact same incident or time.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
15
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
13%
2 of 15 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
66/100
The Straits Times's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
12
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-16 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Running correction rate · 5 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

The Straits Times
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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 2601 articles by The Straits Times →

Topics

GBU-43/B Iran Newsmax Tehran WASHINGTON

Subjects

Iran GPE · 6× Trump PERSON · 6× Tehran GPE · 2× Donald Trump PERSON · 1× Iranian NORP · 1× Newsmax ORG · 1× REUTERS ORG · 1× WASHINGTON GPE · 1×

Narrative

Trump did not say if he had authorized the use of GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb, also known as the "mother of all bombs," against Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-16
🔮 Trump says US may need to strike Iran's Pickaxe Mountain WASHINGTON, Oct 16 - President Donald Trump said the US may have to target Pickaxe Mountain, a site linked to Iran's nuclear program, as he aims to ensure Tehran does not get a nuclear weapon.
2026-10-16 · The Straits Times
Trump says US may need to strike Iran's Pickaxe Mountain · assertive framing

Claims (15 extracted, 2 hedged)

Trump says US may need to strike Iran's Pickaxe Mountain WASHINGTON, Oct 16 - President Donald Trump said the US may have to target Pickaxe Mountain, a site linked to Iran's nuclear program, as he aims to ensure Tehran does not get a nuclear weapon. uncertain
Tehran → say → weapon
In an interview with Newsmax on Thursday night, Trump also said he would not use a nuclear weapon in the war on Iran, which began in February with US-Israeli strikes. asserted
which → say → strikes
* Trump said the US wanted to make sure Iran will never have a nuclear weapon "because if they had it, they would use it." asserted
they → say → it
* "Their nuclear is buried under millions of tons of mountain. asserted
nuclear → bury → mountain
Now we're looking at Pickaxe Mountain. asserted
we → look → Mountain
We may have to go there. uncertain
We → have → ?
We'll take a shot at that one. asserted
We → take → one
We'll knock it out fast," Trump told the news outlet. asserted
Trump → knock → outlet
* Pickaxe Mountain is a fortified facility buried deep underground near one of Tehran's main nuclear sites. asserted
Mountain → fortify → sites
* The US president said there was no need to use a nuclear bomb in Iran. asserted
president → say → Iran
"I wouldn't use nuclear. asserted
I → use → nuclear
We don't have to." asserted
We → have → ?
* Trump reiterated he was not considering using US ground troops in Iran * asserted
he → reiterate → Iran
Trump did not say if he had authorized the use of GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb, also known as the "mother of all bombs," against Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites. asserted
he → say → infrastructure
He did say the MOAB bomb was not a nuclear bomb. asserted
bomb → say → ?
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