What Is Pickaxe Mountain? Iranian Nuclear Site Trump Wants To Take Out With 'Big, Fat Shot'
What Is Pickaxe Mountain? Iranian Nuclear Site Trump Wants To Take Out With 'Big, Fat Shot' Published By, Last Updated: July 14, 2026, 22:22 IST
What Is Pickaxe Mountain? Iranian Nuclear Site Trump Wants To Take Out With 'Big, Fat Shot' Published By, Last Updated: July 14, 2026, 22:22 IST Known in Persian as Kuh-e Kolang, Pickaxe Mountain is an underground complex located near Iran's Natanz uranium enrichment facility in central Iran. A satellite view shows vehicles at an entrance to Pickaxe Mountain tunnels, of the of the Natanz nuclear facility, near Natanz, Iran. (IMAGE: REUTERS) US President Donald Trump has put Pickaxe Mountain — a suspected Iranian nuclear facility buried deep beneath a mountain — in the spotlight after saying it could be the next target in Washington’s military campaign. Speaking to the Salem News Channel, he suggested the site could be hit soon. “Pickaxe is a possible, you know, target for a nice big, fat shot right in the front door," he said. “We’ll probably give Pickaxe a shot relatively soon." The remarks come as the United States continues military operations against Iran, with the underground complex increasingly emerging as one of Tehran’s most closely watched nuclear facilities.
What Is Pickaxe Mountain? Known in Persian as Kuh-e Kolang, Pickaxe Mountain is an underground complex located near Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment facility in central Iran. Unlike many of Iran’s older nuclear sites, Pickaxe Mountain was built deep inside a mountain, making it far more difficult to detect and potentially much harder to destroy. Satellite imagery analysed by the Institute for Science and International Security suggests construction began around 2020. Iran has described the facility as a centrifuge assembly plant, but international inspectors have not been allowed unrestricted access to verify its purpose. Images released over the past few years show extensive tunnelling and excavation, although the full extent of the underground complex remains unknown. Western governments believe the site could play a key role in Iran’s nuclear programme, while Tehran maintains its nuclear activities are entirely peaceful. One reason Pickaxe Mountain has attracted so much attention is its depth. The facility is believed to sit as much as 600 metres beneath granite rock, making it significantly harder to target than conventional nuclear installations.
Military analysts have questioned whether even America’s most powerful bunker-busting bombs would be capable of completely destroying the complex. That is precisely why Trump’s latest remarks have drawn attention. If Washington decides to strike Pickaxe Mountain, it would be targeting one of Iran’s most heavily protected strategic sites. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Key Questions Answered Could a US strike on Pickaxe Mountain escalate tensions? A US strike on Pickaxe Mountain could escalate tensions, as Iran has warned of a "devastating response" if the United States attacks the site. What are the global implications of Iran's nuclear program? US President Donald Trump has warned that Iran's nuclear ambitions pose a direct danger to the world, stating that Europe and the Middle East would have been "blown to pieces" if the US had not intervened. He suggested that Iran could have had a nuclear weapon if not for US intervention. How do bunker-busting bombs work against deep facilities?
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