Trump Warns of Additional Strikes on Nuclear Facilities... Iran Vows to Target "All U.S. Assets"

[Anchor]

As the United States continues its airstrikes against Iran for the 11th consecutive day, President Trump has now raised the possibility of further bombing nuclear facilities. In response, Iran has warned that it will retaliate by expanding its attacks to all U.S. assets across the Middle East.

Reporter Gwak Sang-eun has the details.

[Reporter]

U.S. President Donald Trump has warned of a potential attack on what is suspected to be Iran's underground nuclear facility, the so-called "Pickaxe Mountain."

Located near the Natanz nuclear facility in central Iran, Pickaxe Mountain has been identified by Israeli intelligence as a hiding place for centrifuges, raising suspicions that a large-scale nuclear facility is under construction there.

[Donald Trump / U.S. President: We will strike that facility. Anywhere Iran even thinks about nuclear weapons, we will hit very hard.]

President Trump also stated that while Iran wants a meeting with the United States, he has no interest until Tehran puts forward a meaningful negotiation proposal, repeatedly pressuring Iran to bring concessions to the table.

Addressing Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who declared a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea, Trump emphasized that the U.S. would take direct action if the blockade is enforced.

Iran warned that if the U.S. attacks its nuclear facilities, not only U.S. military bases in the Middle East but all assets belonging to the U.S. and its allies will become targets.

Foreign media outlets, including Bloomberg, reported that the Houthi rebels sent warning emails to global shipping companies instructing them not to load or unload cargo at Saudi ports. On the 21st alone, six ships in the Red Sea diverted northward toward the Suez Canal to avoid the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

As the Middle East crisis struggles to find an exit, the burden of a prolonged war is growing within the United States.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testified at a congressional hearing that approximately 55.5 trillion won has been poured into the war with Iran so far. The Washington Post reported that concerns are growing over the depletion of the U.S. defense budget due to the protracted conflict with Iran, noting that some core budget items are expected to be exhausted within weeks.

Video by Jung Sung-hoon
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.