IRAN NUKESWhat to Know About Pickaxe Mountain
Construction of the Pickaxe mountain facility started in the fall of 2020, and at the time Iran announced that the underground halls were intended to replace the destroyed above-ground advanced centrifuge assembly facility at the main Natanz site. The destroyed site was designed to assemble about 6000 advanced centrifuges per year, a large capacity, sized to produce the tens of thousands of advanced centrifuges during and after the phasing out of Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action limits from 2025 through 2030.
On July 13, President Trump made it clear that the nuclear-related Pickaxe mountain facility is on the U.S. target list. In an interview on the Hugh Hewitt show, the President stated, “We have eyes on it and Pickaxe mountain is a possible target for a nice big fat shot right in the front door…We’re watching Pickaxe Mountain very closely. We don’t see any activity there.” Trump finished the interview with a more definitive statement: “We’re going to take out Pickaxe Mountain. Tell the Iranians to be ready.”The tunnel facility under construction has not been previously targeted in either June 2025 or 2026 war, aside from the destruction of a vehicle on a nearby spoil pile, which we believe was most likely associated with air defense. Our assessment of satellite imagery to date is that the facility is not yet operational, but construction continues.
This nuclear-related site is south of the Natanz enrichment plant, part of a large perimeter secured site that includes another, smaller tunnel complex, initially built in 2007, which was expanded and hardened in recent years and sealed shortly after the June 2025 war.
The large mountain harboring the main tunnel complex is called Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La, where Kolang translates to Pickaxe, resulting in today’s nickname of the site. Construction of the Pickaxe mountain facility started in the fall of 2020, and at the time Iran announced that the underground halls were intended to replace the destroyed above-ground advanced centrifuge assembly facility at the main Natanz site.[1] The destroyed site was designed to assemble about 6000 advanced centrifuges per year, a large capacity, sized to produce the tens of thousands of advanced centrifuges during and after the phasing out of Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action limits from 2025 through 2030.
The Pickaxe mountain site features two pairs of entrances leading under the ridge of the mountain. They are assumed to lead to one facility, but this is not guaranteed. The facility is estimated to be at least 100 meters deep under the mountain. The mountain has a height of 1608 meters above sea level. The difference in elevation between the eastern entrance and the mountain ridge is about 145 meters. The difference in elevation between the western entrance and the ridge is about 100 meters[2]. The difference in elevation between the two sets of entrances of about 50 meters could also indicate that the facility has multiple levels.
