Unveiling Pickaxe Mountain: Iran's Underground Nuclear Target Threatened by Trump
Pickaxe Mountain in central Iran has come under scrutiny after United States President Donald Trump threatened to obliterate it. Trump stated that US forces would soon strike the mountain ‘very hard’, having previously identified the location as a potential target.
The Iranian government denies any nuclear activity at the site. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei asserted that Trump’s accusations are merely fabricated pretexts for aggression.
Pickaxe Mountain is located near the Natanz nuclear enrichment complex, which was attacked last year during a 12-day war between the US, Israel, and Iran. According to Western experts, construction of the complex beneath the granite of Pickaxe Mountain began in 2020 following a fire in Natanz’s centrifuge assembly hall, which was suspected to be sabotage. At the time, Head of Iran’s Nuclear Programme Ali Akbar Salehi confirmed that a new hall would be built ‘in the heart of the mountain’ near Natanz.
In June last year, the US used GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs to penetrate the Natanz and Fordo sites. However, according to the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), Pickaxe Mountain has never been attacked, including during the war that erupted on 28 February.
International relations expert Mohammad Hassan Najmi stated that Iran planned to move installations deeper under Pickaxe Mountain after the Fordo site was hit by bombs. Analysis of ISIS satellite imagery as of 14 July indicates the new installation is at least 100 metres underground, still under construction, and not yet operational.
Nuclear issues expert from the Carnegie Foundation, James Acton, assessed that this depth is beyond the penetration range of the US GBU-57 bomb. He explained that the bomb might destroy access tunnels, but that is not the decisive factor. Nonetheless, ISIS estimates the space beneath the mountain is large enough to house a centrifuge enrichment plant capable of producing weapons-grade uranium.
A report by The Wall Street Journal stated that Israeli intelligence had convinced the US that thousands of centrifuges were moved under Pickaxe Mountain last autumn. This revelation is crucial amid Trump’s focus on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, whilst the nuclear issue remains a top priority for Israel.