What is Pickaxe Mountain, the Iranian nuclear-linked site threatened by Trump?

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to attack "Pickaxe Mountain," a fortified facility linked to Iran's nuclear program. The site, located deep underground, is believed to be beyond the reach of American bunker-buster bombs, raising concerns amid escalating tensions between Tehran and Washington.

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there was no nuclear activity at Pickaxe Mountain

Pickaxe Mountain is situated 220 kilometers south of Tehran and 2 kilometers from the Natanz nuclear complex. Natanz hosts uranium enrichment plants, one of which was reportedly destroyed or damaged during recent conflicts. The Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), a U.S.-based think tank, stated that the tunnel facility under construction at Pickaxe Mountain was not targeted in those conflicts.

Construction at Pickaxe Mountain began in 2020, according to ISIS. This followed an explosion at the Natanz facility, which Iran attributed to sabotage. At the time, Iranian authorities reported that the sabotage significantly damaged equipment for advanced uranium enrichment centrifuges. In September 2020, Iran's then-nuclear chief, Ali Akbar Salehi, announced the construction of a "more modern, larger and more comprehensive hall" within the mountain near Natanz for centrifuge production.

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a more modern, larger and more comprehensive hall in all dimensions in the heart of the mountain near Natanz for making advanced centrifuges

Rafael Grossi, the chief of the UN nuclear watchdog, noted in March that Iran had previously declared its intention to conduct nuclear activities at Pickaxe Mountain. He described this as part of a systematic Iranian strategy to place sensitive facilities underground. ISIS analysis of satellite imagery indicates the site features two pairs of entrances leading to a facility estimated to be at least 100 meters underground, with hardened tunnel entrances and a large security perimeter.

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a systematic Iranian intention to put its most sensitive facilities underground