President Donald Trump has threatened to target an underground Iranian nuclear facility known as Pickaxe Mountain, warning of imminent strikes as Washington considers options to halt Tehran's nuclear development.
The subterranean site, located south of the main Natanz complex at Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La, sits between 80 and 100 meters underground.
Satellite imagery from June 30, 2026, showed heavy construction machinery, fortified perimeters, and active tunnel portals.
Analysts have noted ongoing hardening of the facility.
Spencer Faragasso, research fellow at the Institute for Science and International Security, said, "In the last year, we have observed fairly steady construction activity at the site."
He added that Iran's work likely centered on internal excavation and hardening to protect against aerial attacks.
Trump's Warnings and Iranian Denials
Speaking to reporters on July 21, Trump announced upcoming military operations. "We'll be hitting that area pretty soon, and very heavily," he said.
On July 28, he reiterated the stance, saying, "I know exactly what's going on at Pickaxe.
It's not a big problem - we took out their nuclear sites, and we'll have to take out Pickaxe if we don't make a deal."
Iranian officials denied the allegations.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said on July 22 that "no nuclear activity is taking place" and called the American rhetoric "a fabricated pretext for aggression, destruction, and sabotage."
Trump, alongside Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, emphasized intelligence tracking of atomic stockpiles. "We follow the material, that's where the action is," he said.
He asserted tactical advantage, adding, "We'll be hitting that area ... probably pretty soon.
And there's not a thing they can do about it."
He acknowledged the unusual transparency, saying, "Normally I wouldn't say that," but concluded, "If I thought they could do something about it, I would never say that, but we'll be hitting that area pretty soon.
And very heavily."
IAEA and Expert Assessments
In March, IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi noted Iran's intention to use deep subterranean space for nuclear activity.
"This was part of their quite systematic intention to put their most sensitive facilities underground," he said.
Defense researchers identified vulnerabilities.
Faragasso noted that "targeting the ventilation shafts would enable the weapons to reach deeper into the facility, and the tunnel portals can be collapsed using bunker buster weapons."
David Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security, voiced concern that Pickaxe Mountain could host an enrichment plant producing weapon-grade uranium.
"None of this is happening as far as we know, but the fear is that it could turn into a place to make weapon grade uranium metal," he said.
Military analysts acknowledged the difficulty of destroying deep chambers.
Arman Mahmoudian, research fellow at the University of South Florida, said, "Obliterating every underground chamber would be extremely difficult because of the facility's depth and uncertain layout."
However, he added that attacks on outer installations "could paralyse the facility's operations even if some of its deepest underground sections survived."
Faragasso noted significant truck movement at the site, suggesting possible transport of high-value items.
"It is plausible that high value items, such as uranium gas centrifuges, were brought into and stored within the tunnels," he said, citing continuous truck activity entering and exiting tunnel portals.
Meanwhile, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps representative General Hossein Mohebbi dismissed reports of clashes with American forces as "lies."
Reports from CNN, the New York Post, and BBC Verify indicate Pentagon planners are preparing options ranging from GBU-57 bunker buster strikes to ground operations involving Navy SEALs and Army Rangers.
