Trump warns of strikes on Iran nuclear sites as military pressure mounts and sanctions tighten

President Donald Trump has warned the US may need to strike Iran's Pickaxe Mountain nuclear facility, raising the prospect of a major escalation in the ongoing US-Iran war. The warning came as two US aircraft carriers, the George Washington and the George HW Bush, operate in the Arabian Sea. Iran's IRGC deputy commander Major General Mostafa Izadi declared Tehran "ready to carry out the most powerful operations."

Over a two-week period, at least 24 commercial vessels near the Strait of Hormuz were targeted by Iran, with Britain's Royal Navy maritime monitor recording seven further incidents in three days.

The White House is reportedly preparing the 'mother of all bombs' for possible use against Iran, while the Treasury blacklisted an Iraqi bank and nine other entities in a fresh round of sanctions.

Trump told a rally crowd that government leakers "should be shot," claiming a leak forced him to abort a military raid on Iran after details appeared in the New York Times and on CNN.