Former President Donald Trump has issued a direct threat to Iran's "Pickaxe Mountain," an underground nuclear facility, stating that the United States is monitoring the site closely and vowing to "take out" the installation.
Trump's statements, made earlier this month, signal a heightened U.S. focus on Iran's nuclear program, particularly its deeply buried facilities that are difficult to target. "We're going to take out Pickaxe Mountain. Tell the Iranians to be ready," Trump said.
Pickaxe Mountain, also known as the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, began construction in 2020 following a fire at the Natanz nuclear facility. Iran's nuclear agency at the time attributed the Natanz incident to sabotage. According to the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), the underground halls at Pickaxe Mountain were intended to replace the destroyed advanced centrifuge assembly facility at Natanz.
Experts suggest the facility's depth presents a significant challenge for any potential military strike. "It's a very deep facility. We don't know exactly how deep, but it's very likely at least 100 meters deep," James Acton, co-director of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told TIME. "There's just no way to destroy this facility. The best one can do is try to collapse the tunnel entrances."
Despite Trump's assertion that there is no activity at the site, assessments based on satellite imagery indicate that Pickaxe Mountain is not yet operational, though construction is ongoing. The facility's clandestine nature and its potential role in Iran's nuclear ambitions have made it a subject of international concern and debate.