Iran speeds construction at suspected underground nuclear site near Natanz
Iran has accelerated construction this year at a suspected underground nuclear site buried in the Pickaxe mountain near Natanz, according to an analysis of satellite images by US-based analysts. The site is in central Iran, close to the Natanz nuclear facility, and Western intelligence services suspect it may be a clandestine uranium enrichment plant. The latest imagery reviewed by the analysts was taken on 9 August.
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The analysis was carried out by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, which examined satellite images covering six years. The analysts said they could not confirm or rule out a reported Israeli intelligence claim that centrifuges had been moved to the Pickaxe mountain site. They also said the International Atomic Energy Agency had asked Iran for information and access to the location, but that Iran had not responded to those requests.
The site's location deep inside a granite mountain is seen as a major obstacle to any attempt to destroy it with conventional weapons. That assessment adds to concern around the scale and resilience of Iran's nuclear infrastructure, particularly at a time when the country's activities remain under close international scrutiny. The issue is also politically sensitive because it touches on the limits of monitoring and verification by the UN nuclear watchdog.
The report comes against a backdrop of long-running tension over Iran's nuclear programme and repeated questions about the purpose of facilities that are not fully open to inspection. Natanz has been one of the most closely watched sites in Iran for years, and any expansion of underground construction nearby is likely to draw further attention from Western governments and intelligence agencies. The mention of possible enrichment activity is especially significant because uranium enrichment can be used for civilian nuclear fuel or, at higher levels, for weapons-related purposes.
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The row also notes that Donald Trump threatened on 21 July to launch a military strike against the Pickaxe mountain area as part of his campaign to destroy Iran's nuclear programme. The threat was not carried out, according to the information provided. Separately, the source says the war between the United States and Iran had reached six months at the start of September, with Tehran carrying out new attacks on American targets in the Middle East in retaliation for US strikes on Iranian tankers.
What remains unclear is whether the construction is directly linked to enrichment activity, whether centrifuges have been moved there, and how advanced the underground work has become. The IAEA's unanswered request for access leaves the site's exact purpose unresolved. Further scrutiny is likely to focus on whether Iran allows inspection, whether more imagery shows continued acceleration, and whether the issue feeds into wider confrontation over the nuclear programme.
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