U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a new warning to Iran, making clear that any attack by Tehran against a vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz will trigger an immediate U.S. military response. In a social media post, the U.S. president stated that going forward, if Iran strikes a ship in the Strait of Hormuz with a missile, rocket, drone, or any other weapons system, the United States will respond by bombing and destroying “a bridge or a power plant.” He further noted that potential targets could include facilities located near or within the country’s capital, Tehran.
Tehran denies any nuclear activity at Kolang
Iranian news agency Tasnim reported today (22.07.2026) that the U.S. struck Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz — the flashpoint at the center of escalating tensions between Tehran and Washington, which reignited their confrontations two weeks ago.
“At 14:48 local time (13:48 Greek time), Larak Island (southern section) was targeted by an American missile. According to local residents, a powerful explosion was heard near the island,” Tasnim reported, adding that authorities are working to determine “the scope of the attack” and “the extent of any possible damage.”
Meanwhile, Iran once again denied today that any secret underground nuclear complex exists at Mount Kolang, located in the central part of the country — a site that U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to strike.
“Washington’s obsession with Kolang Kuh, where no nuclear activity has ever taken place, is nothing more than a blatant pretext to justify aggression, destruction, and sabotage,” Iranian diplomatic spokesman Esmail Baghaei wrote on X.
“Iran’s nuclear activities have been fully declared to the IAEA,” the International Atomic Energy Agency, he added.
The nuclear facilities
On Tuesday, Donald Trump stated that U.S. armed forces would “hit that site probably very soon,” referring to Kolang.
“And there’s nothing they can do about it,” he added in remarks to reporters at the White House.
In November 2025, U.S. media outlets including The Washington Post and The New York Times reported that Iran had accelerated construction of an underground nuclear facility known in English as “Pickaxe Mountain” (“Kolang” means pickaxe in Farsi) — a claim denied by Iranian authorities.
The facility is located near the Natanz nuclear complex, which was bombed by the United States in June 2025 and has once again become a target since the war resumed at the end of February.
