Trump threatens strike on Iran's Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site

US President Donald Trump has threatened to strike Iran's deeply buried Pickaxe Mountain nuclear facility, drawing fresh attention to one of the country's most secretive and heavily fortified nuclear sites. The site is under construction near Natanz in central Iran and is described as being dug into a mountain in the Zagros range. The warning has raised questions about the vulnerability of the facility and the wider direction of Washington's military pressure on Tehran.

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Trump said in an interview that the United States would "take out Pickaxe Mountain" and told Iranians to be ready. He also said the site was being watched closely and suggested there was no visible activity there. The remarks were reported as part of a broader escalation in the US military campaign launched against Iran in February, according to the supplied material.

Pickaxe Mountain, also known as Kuh-e Kolang Gaz Lā, lies about 1.5 km south of the Natanz nuclear facility. The site is said to consist of two deeply buried tunnel complexes, making it far more protected than Iran's existing underground facilities. Satellite imagery analysed by independent experts reportedly suggests excavation has been under way since around 2020, and the facility is believed to be designed to withstand conventional bunker-buster bombs.

The site matters because it is linked to Iran's nuclear programme and could eventually be used for uranium enrichment, centrifuge assembly, or storing highly enriched uranium away from air attacks. Iran has not publicly disclosed the exact purpose of the facility. That uncertainty has made it a focus for outside analysts, especially because it sits close to Natanz, one of Iran's main uranium enrichment complexes and a site that has already been heavily damaged in past attacks.

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The renewed focus on Pickaxe Mountain also reflects the strategic importance of underground nuclear infrastructure in Iran. Facilities built deep inside mountains are harder to monitor and harder to destroy, which can complicate military planning and diplomatic efforts alike. For Washington, the threat underscores a willingness to target infrastructure linked to Iran's nuclear capabilities.

For Tehran, it highlights the continuing pressure on a programme that has long been central to tensions with the United States and its allies. The supplied material does not say whether any strike is imminent, and it does not provide an official Iranian response to Trump's remarks. It also remains unclear what level of activity is currently taking place at the site and whether the excavation work has changed recently.

What happens next will depend on whether the threat is followed by action, further statements from US officials, or any new signs of activity at the facility.

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