US President Donald Trump has threatened to target Pickaxe Mountain, a deeply buried and heavily fortified underground complex linked to Iran’s nuclear programme, as fighting between Washington and Tehran continues to escalate.

In an interview on the Hugh Hewitt Show on July 13, Trump said, “We’re going to take out Pickaxe Mountain. Tell the Iranians to be ready,” signalling that the site may be next in the crossfire.

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Beneath the mountain, beyond easy reach

Pickaxe Mountain is located south of Tehran, about 220 kilometres from the capital and roughly two kilometres from the Natanz nuclear complex.

The facility has been described as one of Iran’s most fortified nuclear-related sites, with tunnel complexes carved deep into the mountain and protected by reinforced entrances and a large security perimeter.

US intelligence reports indicate the complex has been excavated beneath hundreds of metres of solid granite rock, making it difficult to destroy with conventional bunker-busting weapons.

A scheme years in the making

The site has drawn close attention because of what Iran may intend to do there. Tehran has said since construction began in 2020 that the facility is meant to assemble and manufacture advanced centrifuges.

The Institute for Science and International Security said the project began after a reported explosion at Natanz that Iranian authorities described as sabotage.

Iran’s then nuclear chief, Ali Akbar Salehi, said in September 2020 that the country had begun building “a more modern, larger and more comprehensive hall in all dimensions in the heart of the mountain near Natanz” for producing advanced centrifuges.

The plot, it seems, thickens underground

The latest satellite-based assessments suggest the complex is still not operational, even if work continues.

The underground tunnel project was not struck in earlier conflicts, and the UN nuclear watchdog had assessed that the above-ground enrichment plant at Natanz was destroyed, while the underground facility was likely badly damaged.

The eastern tunnel entrances had been partially backfilled after the wars, though not fully sealed.

Trump said, “We’re watching Pickaxe Mountain very closely. We don’t see any activity there,” before adding that the US might “give Pickaxe a hit relatively soon”.

Easier said than struck

Experts say the site’s depth makes it a difficult target for air power alone.

They believe the underground complex lies beyond the reach of the most powerful bunker-buster bombs currently in the US arsenal. The Institute for Science and International Security said the site would be “more suitable for ground forces to attack or sabotage”.

Sam Lair, a fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, said reinforcing the tunnel entrances would make targeting with penetrating munitions more difficult.

For now, the site remains a point of tension at the centre of wider US-Iran hostilities, with diplomacy still uncertain and military pressure continuing to mount.

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FAQs

Q1: What is Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain?

Pickaxe Mountain is a heavily fortified underground facility near Iran’s Natanz nuclear site that is believed to be linked to the country’s advanced centrifuge programme.

Q2: Why has Donald Trump threatened to strike Pickaxe Mountain?

Trump said the site could be targeted because of concerns over its potential role in Iran’s nuclear programme and its strategic military significance.