President Donald Trump is considering a strike on Iran’s deeply buried Pickaxe Mountain nuclear facility, a site previously left untouched by the United States. The facility, estimated to be buried under at least 100 meters of rock, was designed to replace an above-ground plant capable of assembling advanced centrifuges.

Background

Analysts believe the tunnels at Pickaxe could eventually hold a centrifuge assembly line, an enrichment plant, or equipment used in nuclear weaponization activities. However, the administration has not confirmed whether centrifuges have been moved inside the facility or why it now warrants a strike.

Trump said the United States would probably strike the area ‘pretty soon’ and ‘very heavily.’ His warning came after Israeli intelligence reported that Iran moved thousands of centrifuges into Pickaxe last fall. Trump said the transfer ‘may have’ occurred but added that the United States did not have it ‘on record.’

Implications

The reported transfer could help explain Trump’s recent focus on Pickaxe. The facility is one of the last nuclear-related sites of its size that has not been struck. Military experts disagree over whether airstrikes could destroy Pickaxe’s interior or merely seal its entrances temporarily.

The Institute for Science and International Security assesses that the enriched uranium remains trapped at other sites and does not believe it has entered Pickaxe. The administration has not said whether the United States independently corroborated the reported Israeli assessment or whether nuclear material has entered the facility.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.