Gulf News and The Times of Israel reported that U.S. President Donald Trump named an underground site near Iran’s Natanz complex as a possible target, while imagery has not confirmed whether centrifuges are there.
A post from the White House’s Rapid Response 47 account quoted Trump saying the United States had “knocked out their nuclear” and still had “one or two sites” to address, work he said could be done “in 10 minutes.” The post did not name Pickaxe Mountain. Gulf News and The Times of Israel separately reported that Trump singled out the site and described negotiations with Iran as “going fine,” while calling Tehran unreliable. The reports did not identify another site or cite an order or date for a strike.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) describes Pickaxe Mountain as an underground tunnel complex about two kilometers south of Natanz. Its satellite imagery could neither confirm nor rule out reports that Iran had moved centrifuges there. CSIS reported continued construction and no visible signs of operations, leading it to assess that enrichment may not yet be possible there if that was the facility’s intended use.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said July 22 that there was no nuclear activity at the site, also known as Kolang Kouh, Iran’s IRNA news agency reported. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a Sept. 1 report it could not establish the current size, composition or location of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, or verify whether enrichment had stopped, because it lacked information and access to declared enrichment facilities. Its estimate for June 13, 2025, included 440.9 kilograms of uranium enriched up to 60% U-235. The report did not establish what is inside Pickaxe Mountain.
The Associated Press reported that Trump threatened to strike Pickaxe Mountain in July. Gulf News and Roya News reported Trump had suggested further action could follow the U.S. federal election Tuesday, Nov. 3; neither reported a confirmed strike decision.
