Pickaxe Mountain in central Iran has come under scrutiny after United\nStates President Donald Trump threatened to obliterate it. Trump stated\nthat US forces would soon strike the mountain \u2018very hard\u2019, having\npreviously identified the location as a potential target.<\/p>\n
The Iranian government denies any nuclear activity at the site.\nForeign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei asserted that Trump\u2019s\naccusations are merely fabricated pretexts for aggression.<\/p>\n
Pickaxe Mountain is located near the Natanz nuclear enrichment\ncomplex, which was attacked last year during a 12-day war between the\nUS, Israel, and Iran. According to Western experts, construction of the\ncomplex beneath the granite of Pickaxe Mountain began in 2020 following\na fire in Natanz\u2019s centrifuge assembly hall, which was suspected to be\nsabotage. At the time, Head of Iran\u2019s Nuclear Programme Ali Akbar Salehi\nconfirmed that a new hall would be built \u2018in the heart of the mountain\u2019\nnear Natanz.<\/p>\n
In June last year, the US used GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs to\npenetrate the Natanz and Fordo sites. However, according to the\nInstitute for Science and International Security (ISIS), Pickaxe\nMountain has never been attacked, including during the war that erupted\non 28 February.<\/p>\n
International relations expert Mohammad Hassan Najmi stated that Iran\nplanned to move installations deeper under Pickaxe Mountain after the\nFordo site was hit by bombs. Analysis of ISIS satellite imagery as of 14\nJuly indicates the new installation is at least 100 metres underground,\nstill under construction, and not yet operational.<\/p>\n
Nuclear issues expert from the Carnegie Foundation, James Acton,\nassessed that this depth is beyond the penetration range of the US\nGBU-57 bomb. He explained that the bomb might destroy access tunnels,\nbut that is not the decisive factor. Nonetheless, ISIS estimates the\nspace beneath the mountain is large enough to house a centrifuge\nenrichment plant capable of producing weapons-grade uranium.<\/p>\n
A report by The Wall Street Journal stated that Israeli intelligence\nhad convinced the US that thousands of centrifuges were moved under\nPickaxe Mountain last autumn. This revelation is crucial amid Trump\u2019s\nfocus on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, whilst the nuclear issue\nremains a top priority for Israel.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/unveiling-pickaxe-mountain-irans-underground-nuclear-target-threatened-by-trump-1784757027", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }