Iran’s hidden mountain nuclear site raises urgent threat, must be ‘neutralized': reports

Iran’s perchance astir vulnerable atomic tract is buried arsenic heavy arsenic 100 meters beneath a granite mountain, according to caller assessments, and 1 nonproliferation master warned it must beryllium "neutralized" earlier nan U.S. warfare pinch Iran ends.

This came arsenic caller figures released Wednesday by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) show that U.S. and Israeli forces launched Operation Epic Fury successful precocious February and person since struck much than 7,800 targets successful Iran arsenic nan conflict enters Day 18.

"Before nan United States and Israel extremity awesome combat operations against Iran, they must complete 2 urgent tasks," Andrea Stricker, lawman head of nan Nonproliferation Program astatine nan Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said successful a policy briefing.

WHILE UN ISSUES MIXED SIGNALS, WITKOFF EXPOSES IRAN'S NUCLEAR EVASION ‘PRIDE’

Satellite imagery shows reinforcement efforts astatine nan Pickaxe Mountain site. Trump says Tehran is pursuing a atomic weapon. (Vantor/Handout via Reuters)

"First, they must neutralize Pickaxe Mountain. Second, they must retrieve aliases destruct highly enriched uranium stocks to forestall them from falling into nan hands of surviving authorities elements, different adversarial states aliases violent proxies."

High-resolution outer imagery from mid-February shows Iran's accelerated efforts to reenforce nan tract astatine Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La, known arsenic "Pickaxe Mountain," against imaginable airstrikes, according to nan Institute for Science and International Security.

"At 1 of nan eastbound passageway entrances, stone and ungraded tin beryllium seen pushed backmost and leveled connected apical of nan passageway portal," nan institute's report said.

"Additionally, complete nan past month, a concrete-reinforced headworks for nan passageway entranceway hold was added. This allows for further overburden successful nan shape of rock, ungraded aliases concrete."

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A outer image shows an overview of nan Pickaxe Mountain passageway analyzable successful Natanz. (Vantor/Handout via Reuters)

The study added that "these efforts fortify nan passageway portals and supply further protection against an airstrike," noting visible piles of building materials adjacent nan entrances.

Preventing Iran from having a atomic limb is 1 of President Donald Trump’s stated warfare aims. 

In June 2025, U.S. forces carried retired strikes against atomic sites, including Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.

Iran had astir 441 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% arsenic of June 2025, capable material, if further enriched to weapons-grade levels, for aggregate atomic weapons, according to nan International Atomic Energy Agency.

Rafael Grossi, its head general, besides said March 9 that nan U.N. watchdog believes astir 200 kilograms of Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile are still stored successful heavy tunnels astatine a atomic analyzable extracurricular Isfahan.

SATELLITE IMAGES REVEAL ACTIVITY AT IRAN NUCLEAR SITES BOMBED BY US, ISRAEL

President Donald Trump confirmed nan U.S. launched strikes connected Iran Feb. 28, 2026.  (The White House via X Account/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Grossi added that further quantities of highly enriched uranium are believed to beryllium astatine different atomic halfway successful Natanz, wherever Iran has constructed a caller fortified underground installation astatine Pickaxe Mountain.

On March 9, Trump pointed to Iran’s efforts to resume atomic activity astatine a deeper tract and said Tehran has continued pursuing a atomic limb "even aft we obliterated their cardinal atomic sites."

"They were starting activity astatine different site, a different tract … that was protected by granite. … They wanted to spell a batch deeper, and they started nan process," Trump said, according to reports.

According to Stricker, nan "different site" referenced by Trump is Pickaxe Mountain, wherever Iran has said it has been building a centrifuge assembly works astatine nan tract since 2021. The tract is simply a mile from its Natanz enrichment plant.

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"The size of nan facility, arsenic good arsenic nan protection provided by nan gangly mountain, raised contiguous concerns astir whether further delicate activities are planned, specified arsenic uranium enrichment," nan Institute for Science and International Security besides noted successful its report.

At nan opening of March, a conveyance was struck extracurricular nan site, presumably by Israel, The Wall Street Journal reported, earlier suggesting that nan conveyance onslaught was grounds nan U.S. and Israel are watching nan upland carefully.