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.
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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.
