US President Donald Trump has threatened to target Pickaxe Mountain, an underground facility associated with Iran’s nuclear programme, signalling a further escalation in tensions between Washington and Tehran as hostilities continue in the Gulf.
Speaking during a July 13 interview on the Hugh Hewitt Show, Trump said the United States was closely monitoring the site and suggested it could be attacked.
“We’re going to take out Pickaxe Mountain. Tell the Iranians to be ready,” Trump said in the interview.
Also read | Trump’s left hand discoloration sparks new health concerns, speculations: ‘Both of them are mangled’
The remarks come as fighting between the United States and Iran continues, further complicating efforts to bring the conflict to an end.
Underground facility near Natanz
Pickaxe Mountain is located about 220 kilometres south of Tehran and roughly two kilometres from the Natanz nuclear complex, where two uranium enrichment plants had been operating.
The Natanz site was bombed during the war launched by the United States and Israel on February 28, and again during last year’s 12-day war, as per news agency Reuters.
Also read | India, China face up to 100% US tariffs over Russian oil purchase under new bill proposal
The tunnel complex being built beneath Pickaxe Mountain was not struck in either conflict, according to the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS).
The mountain rises to around 1,600 metres above sea level. While the UN nuclear watchdog has said the above-ground enrichment plant at Natanz was destroyed, it assessed that the underground facility was likely at least badly damaged.
Construction began after Natanz sabotage
The underground project at Pickaxe Mountain has been under construction since 2020, according to ISIS. Work on the facility began after Iranian authorities reported an explosion at the Natanz site, which they described as an act of sabotage.
Iran said the incident caused significant damage that could slow the development of advanced uranium enrichment centrifuges.
Also read | The Battle for Hormuz: Trump Shifts Into Dangerous New Phase in Iran War
In September that year, Iran’s then nuclear chief, Ali Akbar Salehi, said the country had begun building “a more modern, larger and more comprehensive hall in all dimensions in the heart of the mountain near Natanz” for producing advanced centrifuges.
Rafael Grossi, head of the UN nuclear watchdog, said in a March interview with PBS Frontline that Iran had previously announced its intention to carry out nuclear activities at Pickaxe Mountain.
“This was part of their quite systematic intention to put their most sensitive facilities underground,” he said.
What satellite imagery shows
ISIS, which has analysed satellite imagery of the site, said the facility has two pairs of tunnel entrances believed to lead to a single underground complex estimated to be at least 100 metres beneath the mountain.
The site is protected by a large security perimeter and reinforced tunnel entrances, according to the think tank.
Its July 14 report said the eastern tunnel entrances had been partially backfilled after the wars to obstruct ground vehicle access, though they had not been completely sealed.
Sam Lair, a fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute who also reviewed recent satellite imagery, said reinforcing the tunnel entrances would make “targeting with penetrating munitions like bunker busters” more difficult.
Site not yet operational, says report
Trump also claimed the United States was monitoring activity at the location.
“We see no activity there. They’re not doing well with their nuclear situation. Every time we hear about it, we blow it up. So they don’t like talking about it. But we’ll probably give Pickaxe a shot relatively soon,” he said.
ISIS said its assessment was that the facility is not yet operational, although construction is continuing. Based on satellite imagery alone, it said it was not possible to determine when the site could become operational.
The think tank added that it remained unclear whether Iran still intended to build a large-scale centrifuge assembly facility there following the destruction of its centrifuge programme and its capability to manufacture centrifuge components.
“Nonetheless, if Iran starts to rebuild its centrifuge manufacturing capability, it could plan to install a smaller centrifuge assembly facility in Pickaxe Mountain able to serve a nuclear weapons program,” ISIS said.
How difficult would it be to strike?
Experts cited in the report assess that the underground complex lies beyond the reach of the most powerful bunker-buster bombs currently available in the US arsenal.
ISIS said the site “would be more suitable for ground forces to attack or sabotage”.
“However, vulnerabilities may also exist that can be exploited by deep earth penetrating weapons via aerial attacks,” it said.
Lair sai,”We can infer that there are ongoing activities at Pickaxe Mountain the Iranians wish to continue but are still concerned enough about a potential attack that they are taking steps to bolster their defenses.”
(With inputs from Reuters)
