Trump says attacking Iran's 'Pickaxe Mountain' is 'a small thing' and can be done in an hour

United States President Donald Trump said in an interview with Fox's Hannity program on the eve of the midterm elections that the US may need to attack the Iranian facility known as Pickaxe Mountain, but that it is 'no big deal'. According to him, the operation can be carried out 'in one hour', any time Washington wants.

Trump said Iran is militarily weakened. In his assessment, the country's Navy, Air Force and anti-aircraft defenses are 'gone'. Regarding missiles and drones, he stated that there are some left, but few, and that Iran's capacity to produce more is very small. The president also said that 159 Iranian ships were destroyed.

Presenter Sean Hannity questioned Trump about the decision to act against Iran. He mentioned that the promise of 'no eternal wars' does not mean the absence of military power and that Operations Midnight Hammer and Epic Fury, according to him, would have prevented Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Trump responded by criticizing the Obama-era nuclear deal, the JCPOA, which he called a disaster, and claimed that Iran is the biggest sponsor of terrorism in the world over the past 50 years.

Agreement possible, but no shots in months

Trump downplayed the size of the conflict. For him, what is happening is 'not a war', but rather a 'very mild war'. He stated that there has been no shooting for months and that the situation could change if Tehran does not reach an agreement. At the same time, he said that Iran really wants a deal and that there is 'a very good chance' that it will happen.

The president said he was negotiating 'from a position of full strength' and that he could end the conflict at any time. According to Trump, the Iranian economy is collapsing, with inflation at 301%, and the government does not have money to pay soldiers and police. These are statements made by the president, which the transcript neither details nor proves.

Regarding the cost of the campaign, Trump countered a congressman who, according to him, spoke on Fox about spending $30 billion. The president called the value 'peanuts' compared to what he says he gained from Venezuela, where he stated that the conflict lasted less than a day, and from Greenland, which he estimated at US$5 trillion.

Economy and market in speech

For the investor, the point of greatest interest was Trump's assessment of the assets. He said the US stock market is higher than when the conflict began and that 401(k) retirement plans have also risen. It is a statement from the president, without index numbers presented in the interview.

Trump said he has created US$25 trillion in wealth since taking office on January 20, and that there is US$22.5 trillion in investments arriving in the country, with new factories, including pharmaceutical ones. He cited Eli Lilly, Merck and Pfizer. He also said that the USA and Venezuela together would have more than 50% of the world's oil and more than Saudi Arabia and Russia combined.

Hannity listed what he called accomplishments: the largest tax cut in American history, no tax on tips, overtime and Social Security. According to the presenter, families take home an average of US$3,000 more per year. He cited Census data showing that poverty among Hispanics and African Americans has reached an all-time low and the median income has risen to $87,600. Trump also mentioned the reduction in drug prices through the 'most favored nation' policy, achieved, according to him, under threat of tariffs.

In closing, Trump said he had held 31 tele-rallies in 27 days, 15 on the day of the interview and 12 the day before. He asked Republicans for votes and warned that, if they lost, measures such as the tip tax exemption and the end of the inheritance tax for farmers and small businesses would be 'swept away'. According to him, if voters go to the polls, the victory will be 'overwhelming'.

Automatically translated from Portuguese.