Overview
- President Donald Trump named the under‑mountain complex called Pickaxe Mountain as a possible target in a radio interview reported on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, and said a large attack could come “relatively soon.”
- The site sits a few kilometers south of Natanz and was built after the July 2020 Natanz explosion, with IAEA director Rafael Grossi confirming construction but inspectors having not entered the underground halls.
- Satellite images and expert analysis show multiple tunnel entrances and security works while estimating parts of the facility sit roughly 80 to 100 meters under granite, a depth that would blunt the effect of bunker‑busting bombs.
- Analysts and military planners say an attack could aim to disable surface vulnerabilities — ventilation shafts and access tunnels — to achieve a ‘mission kill’ that renders the complex unusable, a choice that carries a high risk of political and military escalation.
- The facts on what happens inside remain unverified because the IAEA has no on‑site access, so reporting relies on imagery and terrain analysis and key developments to watch for are inspector access, further U.S. strikes, or Iranian response.