Deep within the mountains, Pickaxe is seen as the most secret nuclear facility in Iran, which is becoming the target of President Donald Trump.
"The Pickaxe facility could be a target to be destroyed. We will destroy that point, Iran is preparing to leave," President Donald Trump said on July 13, referring to the secret nuclear facility designated as Iran’s "unprecedented breakthrough."
The remarks were made in the context of the US-Iran conflict escalating after a ceasefire between the two countries on the 6th of this month. On July 17, the US military attacked an airport and a train station in southern Iran, before targeting the nuclear facility.
Trump said the US was closely monitoring Iran’s nuclear activities and would launch new airstrikes if suspicious activities were detected.
In the June 2025 offensive campaign, several important nuclear facilities in Iran, such as Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow, suffered airstrikes from the US and Israel. However, Pickaxe remained unharmed, becoming one of the few intact structures in Iran’s nuclear program.
Pickaxe: Iran’s Deeply Buried Nuclear Fortress
The Pickaxe facility, also known as Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La, is located in the Zagros Mountains at an altitude of approximately 1,600 meters above sea level. This is a facility related to Iran’s nuclear program, located about 220 km south of Tehran and about 2 km from the Natanz nuclear enrichment plant.
According to the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), Iran began constructing Pickaxe in the fall of 2020, after the Natanz nuclear facility experienced an incident of sabotage, believed to be an act of Israeli sabotage.
Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran at the time, stated that the country wanted to build a "larger, more modern, and more comprehensive facility in the mountains near Natanz" to produce advanced centrifuges.
Western countries believe this is a defensive measure by Iran to carry out rapid nuclear activities. Some intelligence reports suggest that Tehran may be preparing to use this facility as a cover for potential nuclear weapons development, should its existing facilities be destroyed.
Iran has denied these claims, asserting that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes. However, Tehran has not explained why it has been enriching uranium to 60%, very close to the 90% threshold for weapons-grade uranium, and significantly higher than the nuclear fuel for civilian power plants.
Strategic Underground Construction and Defense
Unlike many other Iranian nuclear facilities, Pickaxe was designed from the outset to withstand air raids. The area is surrounded by dense security, with multiple layers of concrete and extensive tunneling.
According to an analysis of satellite imagery by ISIS, Pickaxe has two tunnel entrances in the east and west, leading to a complex located deep underground, at least 100 meters deep within the mountain. Some Western experts suggest the facility could be located as deep as 600 meters, with a granite structure.
"Granite has a much higher compressive strength than the surrounding sedimentary rock. This type of rock can absorb the kinetic energy of bunker-busting bombs more effectively," Benjamin Ashraf, an analyst at the Operational Nuclear Network (ONN), told The New Arab.
When the US and Israel launched a series of airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025, Natanz suffered significant damage. The surface facility at Natanz was reportedly destroyed, while underground facilities suffered limited damage. Pickaxe, at that time, was not among the targets of the attacks.
Following the clashes, satellite imagery showed Iran continuing to excavate tunnels at Pickaxe, with some eastern tunnel entrances being further deepened to facilitate access.
"The intensification of tunnel construction will make it more difficult to penetrate the facility with bunker-busting bombs," Sam Lair, an expert at the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI), told Reuters.
According to ISIS’s assessment, Pickaxe is not yet fully operational and construction is ongoing.
"It is unclear whether Iran still intends to deploy a facility of this scale, given that the production capacity of centrifuges and related components has been significantly affected," ISIS stated.
However, ISIS noted that if Iran can restore its centrifuge production capabilities, the facility could be used to build a smaller, albeit significant, assembly facility for nuclear weapons.
Expert Lair suggests that Iran’s continued excavation of tunnels indicates that Tehran is still pursuing the development of this facility.
"However, if Iran fears being attacked, it is developing countermeasures," Lair said.
Escalating Tensions and Diplomatic Stalemate
Mehdi Mohammadi, a member of the Iranian Parliament, stated that the US cannot destroy Pickaxe. He described it as the "world’s most secret nuclear facility," adding that Washington’s targeting of this site indicates they have run out of military options.
Mohammadi warned that any attack on Pickaxe would "turn the area into a graveyard," and that Iran would respond decisively, plunging the entire US military presence in the region into chaos.
Analyst Ashraf believes that monitoring Iran’s nuclear program will become more difficult if the US only inflicts partial damage on Pickaxe, rather than complete destruction.
According to Ashraf, bombing would be less effective than declared statements if international inspectors could not return to verify the situation.
"After the attacks on Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan, it is possible to rebuild. The facilities were declared ‘erased,’ but uranium enrichment is still ongoing, many centrifuges can be repaired, while Iran continues to build facilities deep underground," Ashraf said.
The International Response and Future Implications
The ongoing construction and hardening of the Pickaxe facility have drawn sharp criticism from international observers and governments. Western intelligence agencies have repeatedly expressed concerns about Iran’s nuclear program and its potential to develop weapons-grade uranium.
The United States, under the Trump administration, has adopted a policy of "maximum pressure" against Iran, imposing severe sanctions and increasing military readiness in the region. President Trump has repeatedly stated that Iran will never be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons.
The European Union, while advocating for a diplomatic solution, has also expressed deep concern about Iran’s nuclear activities and has called for greater transparency from Tehran.
Israel, Iran’s main regional adversary, views Iran’s nuclear program as an existential threat and has not ruled out military action to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
The ongoing standoff between Iran and the international community, particularly the US and Israel, highlights the complexities and potential dangers of the nuclear issue. The future of Iran’s nuclear program, and the stability of the Middle East, will depend on the ability of all parties to engage in constructive dialogue and de-escalate tensions. The status of the Pickaxe facility, a symbol of Iran’s determined pursuit of nuclear capability, remains a critical focal point in this high-stakes geopolitical game.
