Trump threatens strike on secret Iranian 'Sickle Mountain' nuclear site

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a stark warning to Iran, threatening a significant strike on a secret nuclear facility known as "Kirtiklio kalnas," which translates to "Sickle Mountain."

In a recent interview, Trump stated, "Sickle is a great target to deliver a big, powerful blow right to the front door." He further declared, "We will destroy Sickle Mountain. Tell the Iranians to get ready," predicting the attack would occur relatively soon.

The facility is reportedly located in the Kuh-e Kolango mountain, south of the Natanz nuclear complex in central Iran. This area was previously targeted by U.S. bombers last year. "Sickle Mountain" is a Lithuanian translation of the site's name. Little is publicly known about this complex, but construction began after a July 2020 explosion and fire that severely damaged above-ground assembly halls for advanced centrifuges at Natanz. Tehran attributed that incident to sabotage.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that a new underground facility was under construction. While Natanz enrichment facilities have been monitored by international observers for years, IAEA inspectors have not yet gained access to the interior of "Sickle Mountain." Former head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, stated over a year after the explosion that a temporary facility was built to replace the destroyed one, with work ongoing to relocate all assembly halls to the mountains around Natanz.

Satellite images released by U.S. media show tunnel entrances and security perimeters around the site. While initially thought to be for centrifuge assembly, it is now speculated that the complex may also be used for uranium enrichment. Analysis of satellite imagery suggests some parts of the facility could be 80-100 meters underground, potentially making it difficult to destroy with bunker-buster bombs.