Pickaxe Mountain: Iran's Nuclear Bunker and the Risk of War

A secret Iranian nuclear bunker, codenamed Pickaxe Mountain, is buried 100 meters deep near Natanz, according to Western intelligence sources. Due to its depth, this facility could require a ground operation to destroy it.

The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) reports that a new enrichment unit has been under construction at Pickaxe Mountain since 2020. Rafael Grossi, Director General of the IAEA, did not receive information regarding the works in the area.

Andrea Stricker of the FDD argues that securing the site at Pickaxe Mountain is essential to ending the war. Annika Ganzeveld of the American Enterprise Institute noted that recent attacks on Iranian Taleghan facilities pave the way for targeted attacks on the core of Tehran's nuclear program.

Iran has over 400 kilograms of enriched uranium, enough to build 11 nuclear bombs.