US President Donald Trump has threatened to attack a site linked to Iran’s nuclear programme known as Pickaxe Mountain, a fortified facility buried deep underground near one of Tehran’s main nuclear sites.
Location and History
Pickaxe Mountain is located 220 km (140 miles) south of Tehran and 2 km (1.2 miles) from the Natanz nuclear complex. The site is linked to Iran’s nuclear programme, which has long caused tension between the West and Iran, which denies seeking an atomic bomb.
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.
Defensive Measures and Potential Use
The physical defensive measures at Pickaxe Mountain consist primarily of a large security perimeter and the extensive hardening of tunnel entrances, ISIS said in a July 14 report. The site is estimated to be at least 100 metres under the mountain and features two pairs of entrances.
Experts assess the deeply buried complex is beyond the reach of the most powerful bunker buster bombs in the US arsenal. ISIS said the site “would be more suitable for ground forces to attack or sabotage”.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
