'Iran War Will Be Over After Midterm Election'
Trump says activity seen at Iran's Pickaxe Mountain, urges Tehran 'not to get cute'
U.S President Donald Trump speaks on stage during the Republican National Midterm Convention in Dallas, Texas, U.S., September 9, 2026. REUTERS/
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday the United States may hit Iran's Pickaxe Mountain, urging Tehran to be cautious.
"We notice there's a little activity at Pickaxe. I would advise Iran not to get cute because we will have to hit them very hard," Trump said in a speech at the midterm Republican convention, reports Reuters.
Pickaxe Mountain, located near Iran's heavily damaged Natanz uranium enrichment facility, is a fortified site that hosts two deeply buried tunnel complexes.
Trump has been threatening strikes on Pickaxe Mountain since at least mid-July.
The rise in oil and gas prices due to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, which began in February, has become a major issue for Trump and his Republican Party in the lead-up to the midterm U.S. elections in November.
At the Republican midterm convention on Wednesday in Dallas, Texas, President Donald Trump addressed the audience at the American Airlines Center, leaning directly into the ongoing conflict with Iran—a issue that has grown into a significant political liability for his administration.
Attempting to pivot the narrative ahead of the elections, Trump asked the crowd, "Does anybody here think that Iran should have a nuclear weapon? Anybody?"
The crowd responded with a resounding "No!", underlining the primary justification his administration has put forward for military action.
Trump reiterated a stance he had shared with reporters earlier in the day, framing the conflict's timeline around the upcoming vote. "The war will be over very shortly after the election," he claimed. "They’re hanging out for dear life, hoping that we lose, so they can deal with dumb, weak Democrats, and they can have their nuclear bomb. But we’re not going to let that happen."
Despite Trump's earlier predictions that military operations would wrap up within four to five weeks, the conflict has now entered its seventh month. Domestic approval of the strategy has slipped; a recent NBC News Decision Desk Poll powered by SurveyMonkey indicates that 69% of Americans disapprove of his handling of the war. Approval among his base has also softened, with the proportion of Republicans who strongly approve falling 18 percentage points since spring to 30%.
Even so, several delegates at the convention expressed continued confidence in the president's strategy.
"Any good thing in life is worth waiting for, and so if you put the Iran war and its ultimate conclusion in that context, I think that puts a slightly different light on it," said Jack Etheridge, an alternate delegate from Ohio. "I mean, let’s face it: the election is part of the timeline. The Iranians are taking advantage of that, I think, for their own purposes, but I think the reality is no one believes that Iran is going to defeat the United States."
Other attendees similarly backed the president's stance, reiterating that Iran must be prevented from acquiring nuclear capabilities. (Reuters and NBC)
