Iran live updates: Trump hints at future strikes on Pickaxe Mountain, downplays war

President Donald Trump on Monday night defended the U.S. war in Iran and floated more action against Iran's nuclear program.

Trump's comments came as U.S. forces conducted what two American officials told ABC News were defensive strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday.

Speaking with Fox News' Sean Hannity, Trump downplayed the war and asserted that the U.S. had not attacked Iran in some time.

Trump also said the U.S. "might have to go after" a facility buried under Iran's Pickaxe Mountain, which is in Iran's Isfahan region and just to the south of the Natanz nuclear complex. The president has repeatedly threatened action against the site.

"We might have to go after Pickaxe, but that's not a big deal. We can do it. And literally we can do that in one hour. Okay? As soon as we want, at any time we want," Trump said.

The president downplayed the conflict, which began with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes in February. "Well, when was the last time we fired anything? This isn't a war. This is a very soft war," Trump said. He continued, "This is not much of a war, Sean, because there hasn't been shooting for months."

-ABC News' Nicholas Kerr

The United States carried out defensive strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, two U.S. officials told ABC News.

The airstrikes do not signal the resumption of major combat operations against Iran, but were the latest limited strike carried out by U.S. forces in recent weeks, an official said.

In recent weeks, Iran has increased the number of attacks directed at commercial ships transiting through the Strait of Hormuz.

First reported by the Wall Street Journal, the airstrikes were limited in scope and characterized as defensive strikes, the two U.S. officials said.

Monday's U.S. airstrikes on Qeshm Island were in response to an Iranian attack on a U.S. aircraft, said one official.

-ABC News' Luis Martinez

President Donald Trump said that he is in "no rush" to make a decision on whether to resume strikes against Iran in a call with Axios.

During a phone call with an Axios reporter on Monday, the president said, according to the outlet: "One way or the other, we will do something, but there is no rush. We crippled them financially. They have no money, no gasoline and their people are getting very tired of it."

Trump again stated that the U.S. was "talking to" Iran, Axios reported.

"We are talking to them. It's going fine. The problem with them is ... they try and tap tap tap [us along]. There's less urgency [on the Iranian side] than you think there would be, but they want to make deal more than they ever wanted," Trump said, according to the Axios report.

-ABC News' Nicholas Kerr

During his press conference on Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baqaei said that Tehran is prepared "for any eventuality" amid the ongoing conflict with the U.S. and Israel, adding that any potential resumption of attacks by the combatants would draw in other regional nations.

"The war is ongoing right now, as we speak. The economic siege of Iran and the threats against Iran are themselves part of the war that has existed over these eight months. We must be prepared for any eventuality, because what is at stake is the defense of the homeland, the defense of the territorial integrity and dignity of a country with a civilization thousands of years old," Baqaei said.

"Any party" that assists the U.S. and Israel "in any aggression must not assume it is safe from the harm of Iran's decisive response," Baqaei said.

In the ongoing talks over a potential peace deal, Baqaei said that Iran's "demands have been expressed very clearly and transparently."

"No final agreement can begin, and the Strait of Hormuz cannot be reopened or safe, unless the U.S. naval blockade ends, Iran's demands are respected and Iran's legitimate requests are implemented; then we can talk about continuing the process," he said.

-ABC News' Victoria Beaule