Iran-US war latest: Trump threatens to attack nuclear site as Hegseth reveals staggering cost of war
Donald Trump has threatened to renew strikes on Iran’s heavily fortified “Pickaxe Mountain” nuclear site, as the staggering human and financial toll of the five-month war between the US and Iran came into focus.
Trump said the US would target the Pickaxe Mountain area, located near Iran’s heavily damaged Natanz uranium enrichment facility, “pretty soon.”
The site – known in Iran as Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La – hosts two deeply buried tunnel complexes that experts assess as beyond the reach of the most powerful bunker buster bombs in the US arsenal.
Appearing at the Senate on Tuesday, Trump’s defence secretary Pete Hegseth unraveled over questions about the growing cost of the Trump administration’s war in Iran, estimating the financial toll has now reached $37.5bn. At the same time, he suggested Trump should be praised for starting the war.
Hegseth is asking for another $67 billion from Congress to cover mounting costs for the war, among other demands.
In terms of personnel costs, US officials say at least 18 American troops have died since the beginning of the war, and more than 400 others have been injured.
