US President Donald Trump has put Iran's secretive Pickaxe Mountain back in the spotlight, warning that the underground nuclear site could become the target of fresh American strikes if concerns over Tehran's nuclear programme continue.
Located in Iran's Zagros mountain range, it is around two kilometres south of the Natanz uranium enrichment facility. Pickaxe Mountain, also known as Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La, is believed to house two deeply buried tunnel complexes.
"We're going to take out Pickaxe Mountain. Tell the Iranians to be ready," Trump said in an interview on the Hugh Hewitt Show.
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Satellite imagery and expert assessments suggest the site is built so deep underground that it may be beyond the reach of even the US military's most powerful bunker-buster bombs.
"We're watching (Pickaxe Mountain) closely. We see no activity there. They're not doing well with their nuclear situation. Every time we hear about it, we blow it up. So they don't like talking about it. But we'll probably give Pickaxe a shot relatively soon,"he added.
Trump's comments come despite his repeated assertion that last year's US strikes had "obliterated" Iran's nuclear programme. However, intelligence assessments and satellite imagery have continued to raise questions about activity at Pickaxe Mountain, fuelling speculation that the facility could play a role in Iran's remaining nuclear infrastructure.
The mountain has drawn attention from many nuclear experts because of its heavily fortified underground complex.
Analysts also believe that the tunnels are buried under hundreds of metres of rock, making them significantly more difficult to destroy than Iran's better-known enrichment sites.
While some experts believe the complex could be used to safeguard sensitive nuclear equipment or stockpiles, there is no public confirmation of what lies inside.
Trump's latest warning comes amid renewed tensions between Washington and Tehran, with Pickaxe Mountain emerging as a key focus in the US's efforts to monitor and potentially disrupt Iran's nuclear programme.
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