What to know about Iran's Pickaxe Mountain, home to an underground nuclear site threatened by Trump
The United States President Donald Trump has repeatedly issued threats to bomb an under-construction Iranian nuclear site buried deep under a mountain as the two nations exchange blows over the Strait of Hormuz.
Intelligence analysis by Llama
Iran's Pickaxe Mountain site, home to an underground nuclear site, has been threatened by US President Donald Trump. The site has never been bombed by the US or Israel before.
Imagine a big underground bunker where Iran is building a secret nuclear site. The US President, Donald Trump, has threatened to bomb this site, but it's never been bombed before. This could lead to a big conflict between the US and Iran.
Analysis
A $60B Vote of Confidence
The United States President Donald Trump has repeatedly issued threats to bomb an under-construction Iranian nuclear site buried deep under a mountain as the two nations exchange blows over the Strait of Hormuz. The site, known as Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La, or Pickaxe Mountain, lies on the south side of Iran's Natanz nuclear enrichment site, which was bombed by the US during Operation Midnight Hammer in 2025's 12-day war between Iran and Israel. But Pickaxe Mountain has remained untouched as Iran continues to dig at the site.
Why Cursor?
The new project at Pickaxe Mountain is being constructed next to Natanz, about 225km south of Tehran, Iran's capital. Natanz, a mix of above- and underground facilities, has been a point of international concern since its existence became known two decades ago. Repeated sabotage attacks on Natanz, including one likely carried out by Israel that destroyed a manufacturing site for centrifuges, led Iranian officials to start work on the Pickaxe Mountain site. Protected by anti-aircraft batteries, fencing and Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, the facility sprawls across 2.7 sq km in the country’s arid Central Plateau. It has multiple entrances visible from satellite images.
The Road Ahead
Construction of the facility at Pickaxe Mountain began in 2020, according to the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), following what Iranian authorities reported at the time as an explosion caused by an act of sabotage at the Natanz facility. Iran said at the time the Natanz sabotage had caused significant damage that could slow the development of advanced uranium enrichment centrifuges. In September that year, Iran's then-nuclear chief, Ali Akbar Salehi, said Iran had started building
Key points
- The US President, Donald Trump, has threatened to bomb Iran's Pickaxe Mountain site.
- The site has never been bombed by the US or Israel before.
- Iran is building a secret nuclear site at Pickaxe Mountain.
- The US and Iran are exchanging blows over the Strait of Hormuz.
- The situation is escalating and could lead to a conflict.
If the US and Iran can find a way to resolve their differences peacefully, it could lead to a reduction in tensions and a decrease in the risk of conflict.
If the US and Iran continue to exchange threats and escalate their rhetoric, it could lead to a full-blown conflict that would have devastating consequences for both countries and the region.
