Trump threatens to strike Iran's Ax Mountain nuclear site and confirms the end of Iran's quest for weapons

On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump threatened again to strike the Iranian “Ax Mountain” facility, a site suspected of being a nuclear facility - and sources reported that CNN had monitored construction activities there during the current year.

Trump said during a meeting with leaders from the Gulf region on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meetings: “We may have to blow up another site, which is Jabal Al-Ax. We do not see a lot of activity there currently, but if we detect any activity, we will blow it up immediately.” However, just a minute or two before that, he confirmed that Iran’s quest to possess a nuclear weapon “has ended.”

The US President added: "We have also been in close communication with each other this year as we seek to address another long-term challenge in the Middle East, which is the Iranian regime's pursuit of a nuclear weapon and a nuclear bomb. We will not allow that to happen. The matter is already over; this aspect of the issue, in my opinion, is completely over," and he continued: "I think there is great momentum pushing them to reach an agreement."

It is noteworthy that Gulf leaders had previously succeeded in convincing Trump to refrain from launching a major strike against Tehran, but this time, they fear being drawn further into the furnace of war at a time when Washington is searching for a way out of it, while Iranian agents have targeted Saudi energy infrastructure from Yemen and Iraq, which raises fears of a global shock in energy markets.

In early August, Trump announced that he had canceled a major attack on Iran at the request of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, as the leaders of these countries believed that reaching an agreement with Tehran was possible.

More than a month later, no such agreement has been achieved, and oil prices remain high, while the US midterm elections approach.

The US President told Axios on Thursday that he faces a “big decision” about the war and wants to hear directly from Gulf leaders. The challenge they face is to present a course of action that protects them from further attacks without involving them deeper in the war.