Iran Rejects US Pretext Over Pickaxe Mountain, Strikes Three Arab States
Spokesman Esmail Baghaei denies nuclear work at the site, as Iranian missiles and drones struck US allies across the region.
- Baghaei called the Pickaxe Mountain strike a 'fabricated pretext for aggression, destruction and sabotage.'
- Jordan: missiles hit Prince Hassan and King Faisal air bases, destroying eight MQ-9 drones.
- Bahrain and Saudi Arabia: drones hit the Fifth Fleet's Manama base as Saudi alerts sounded.
Why it matters: Both governments call each other's justification fabricated, and both keep striking neighbors who started none of it.