The UK government website explains that "the situation in the Middle East remains unpredictable. Since 8 July there have been strikes and retaliatory attacks by Iran in a number of locations."
"The US will bomb and destroy one bridge or power plant, including those located next to, or in, the capital city of Tehran," Trump said.
“Producing a nuclear bomb is a complex and difficult undertaking. The Iranians were very close when the war began,” V.-Adm. (ret.) Eliezer "Chaney" Marom told 103FM.
Paris swiftly dismissed the Iranian official's comments, which were reported by state media, and has warned that there will be consequences over the incident.
![[FILE PHOTO] French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot arrives to attend the annual Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris, France, July 14, 2026.](https://images.jpost.com/image/upload/f_auto,fl_lossy/q_auto/c_fill,g_faces:center,h_448,w_632/730946 "[FILE PHOTO] French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot arrives to attend the annual Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris, France, July 14, 2026.")
Marco Rubio spoke at a meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers in Manila, saying that if Iran does not take diplomacy seriously, the US will "do what's necessary" to protect its interests.
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"The strikes are designed to continue degrading Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz," the US Central Command said in a statement on X.
The decision, which follows a similar policy established by Burnham's predecessor, Keir Starmer, qualifies the strikes as "defensive" rather than an active war, Bloomberg reported.
The threat of attacking the Iranian site reflects escalating tensions as Tehran and Washington trade fire in the Gulf, setting back efforts to end the conflict.
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Pickaxe Mountain has emerged as a major Iran nuclear concern, but questions remain over whether the facility is operational and whether a strike would achieve its goals.
