Washington, July 15: US President Donald Trump said the United States was closely monitoring activity at Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site and warned that even limited movement there would trigger a new American strike.

Trump told Fox News that US Space Force surveillance systems were watching the facility after reports of possible activity.

“We’re looking at Pickaxe because somebody said there’s a little activity,” he said.

Trump said the surveillance cameras were powerful enough to read a person’s name badge from space. He added that other Iranian nuclear sites previously struck by the United States remained under observation.

“If they make any move, they make any move, we immediately go and do whatever we have to do,” Trump said.

Fox News interviewer Trey Yingst noted that some weapons experts questioned whether US bunker-buster bombs could penetrate deeply enough to destroy the Pickaxe Mountain site.

“They can go deep. We have good, good stuff,” Trump replied.

The president acknowledged that it was not clear whether Iran was conducting nuclear-related work at the location.

“Nobody knows about Pickaxe. By the way, nobody knows if they even are doing anything in Pickaxe,” he said. “It’s just something that comes up.”

Trump said surveillance had detected little activity but warned that the United States was prepared to respond.

“We have cameras on it. There’s very little activity there,” he said. “But, if there’s even just a small amount, we’ll hit it and we’ll hit it hard.”

Trump also addressed activity at the Taleghan facility outside Tehran, which had been targeted in earlier US strikes.

During the interview, Yingst showed Trump satellite images taken on June 22 and July 7. The later image showed movement, trucks, cranes and what appeared to be freshly poured concrete.

Trump said he had been told that Iran poured concrete to seal the entrances and prevent access to the facility.

“That they poured concrete to close up the entrances so we couldn’t get into it,” he said. “So that’s what they’re saying.”

Trump said the United States could quickly attack the Taleghan facility again.

“But we can hit that one very easily,” he said. “You know, it only takes a matter of minutes for us to do it and do major damage, major damage.”

Trump said Iran had been close to obtaining a nuclear weapon before he ordered Operation Epic Fury on February 28. He cited US strikes by B-2 bombers against three nuclear sites.

“They were going to have a nuclear weapon within two weeks,” Trump said. “Had we not done the B2 bombers, had we not bombed their nuclear sites, their three nuclear sites.”

Iran has long maintained that its nuclear programme is intended for peaceful purposes. Its uranium enrichment activities and limits on international monitoring have, however, remained at the centre of its dispute with the United States and other Western countries.

--IANS