Iran is to distribute iodine tablets while Trump targets Pickaxe Mountain
Iran distributes iodine tablets
The US midterm elections are over, and the Democrats have won. Now the question is what the Trump administration will do about Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain and Kharg Island.
Meanwhile, the Times reports that the Iranian government is distributing iodine tablets to communities near nuclear facilities, as Tehran fears an attack on Pickaxe Mountain may be imminent.
This is how the Times described the preparations:
“However, the video appears to explain to residents how to survive a nuclear explosion near Pickaxe. The video, examined by the Times, asks viewers to imagine a nuclear explosion before listing the approximate distances to nearby cities: 17 miles from Natanz, 25 from Kashan, 117 from Isfahan, and 223 from Tehran. It gives three survival instructions: ‘Go inside, stay inside, and pay attention to updates’.
It also warns that an attack on an underground facility could hurl large quantities of radioactive soil and rock into the atmosphere, allowing the wind to carry contaminated dust hundreds of miles. People near the site might only have 10 to 15 minutes before the fallout hits, it says, while people in more distant cities could have several hours.
The video isn’t the only element reinforcing Iranians’ impression that an attack is imminent. Iodine tablets are being distributed as a precaution to communities near nuclear facilities to protect against potential radiation exposure, a health ministry official explained. ‘Yes, we are distributing iodine,’ the official told the Times.
‘During every war, we have aimed to distribute iodine within a two- to three-kilometre radius of nuclear facilities. Trump can no longer be trusted. He could actually commit this crime’.”
Should the Trump administration decide on escalation, a cyberattack or other less lethal means could disrupt operations at Iran’s oil export hub on Kharg Island. Pickaxe Mountain poses a significantly greater challenge.
The nuclear facilities at Pickaxe Mountain are located 80 to 100 meters underground and are therefore difficult to destroy even with the most powerful conventional bunker-buster bombs in the US. However, a B61-11 nuclear bunker-buster could destroy the facility.
… yeah, pretty much.
Pickaxe is buried under like 100m of granite, and given its sheer size, it’s entirely unclear if GBU-57s would accomplish much of anything.
It’s also not like Fordow with its obvious cooling vents, Pickaxe has maybe one obvious weak-point (3rd image), and that appears to have been plugged with concrete.
— Analytica Camillus (@AnalyticaCamil1) November 2, 2026
Recall what Trump said recently: “There are still ‘one or two sites’ that need attention, including Pickaxe Mountain. We can take care of that in ten minutes. We have a plan for it and we can implement it very quickly.”
Trump says the US is “ready and loaded” for renewed attacks on Iran
US President Donald Trump said Iran could not do anything regarding its nuclear program without Washington’s approval and that he would soon decide whether to resume military operations against Tehran.
Trump’s remarks came during an exchange with reporters in the Oval Office. They asked him for a statement on reports that Iranian negotiators were considering a new proposal put forward by regional mediators for a deal that would limit Iran’s nuclear program.
“It doesn’t matter what they look at,” Trump said. “They won’t have a nuclear weapon; they know that. So do I.”
Trump said he would soon decide whether to resume major hostilities in Iran. He made it clear that he would prefer a negotiated solution to the destruction of the country in the Middle East.
“We have been in Iran for seven months and we control everything we wanted to control. Now we will decide: Do we want to go further?” he said.
“I think it will take them 25 years to rebuild the country. I would rather not destroy the rest of the country, if possible, but perhaps I will have to; soon you will know.”
For weeks, Trump has threatened to return to full-scale bombing of Iran after the midterm elections if Tehran continues to refuse to reach a negotiated agreement on terms acceptable to the United States – particularly regarding its nuclear program.
“We are ready,” Trump told reporters. “If we have to take care of the rest of the Iran issue, we are more than ready.”
Iran’s top security official Mohsen Rezaei said that Tehran had set seven conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and for negotiations with Washington.
“As long as they do not meet our seven conditions, we will neither open the Strait of Hormuz nor enter into negotiations,” he said during a visit to Russia.
Tehran’s demands include a relaxation of sanctions, the release of frozen Iranian assets, and the payment of war reparations.
Washington, meanwhile, insists that any initial talks must address the Iranian nuclear program.
Vice President JD Vance publicly questioned whether the war with Iran had been worth it, saying it had cost Republicans control of Congress in the midterm elections.
Vance’s remarks sparked a debate about whether Trump remains willing to pursue a potential resumption of major military operations against Iran. Recent statements by the president in the Oval Office suggest that renewed military intervention is still being considered.
Trump expressed optimism regarding a possible agreement with Iran as talks continued in Qatar. Vance said he and the president had discussed the matter and both were “fairly confident about the prospects for a possible negotiated agreement.”
“We will continue to work on it,” said Vance.
The conflict between the US and Iran has spread to the region. Clashes have occurred between the Iranian-backed Houthis and a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and parts of the Red Sea.
The Saudi-led coalition said that its air defence systems had intercepted two ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis towards Najran, a major city in Saudi Arabia.
“The interception caused debris to fall, and the damage assessment is underway,” the coalition said in a post on X on November 6.
Trump held a telephone conversation with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, to discuss the regional situation and efforts to de-escalate tensions, the Qatar News Agency reported.
According to the Qatar News Agency, the two men discussed recent international efforts, particularly those led by Qatar, to bridge the differences between the parties involved and support the negotiation process. This should pave the way for a comprehensive agreement that resolves the crisis and ensures security and stability in the region.
Al Thani emphasized the importance of continuing dialogue and relying on diplomacy as a means of resolving disputes. At the same time, he called for the protection of freedom of navigation and the security of energy supplies, the news agency reported.
Qatar mediates between Iran and the United States; Qatari mediators deliver proposals between Tehran and Washington.
yogaesoteric
November 10, 2026