Trump threat brings Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site into focus
The underground facility near Natanz has become a new flashpoint as U.S. strikes target Iran and Hormuz shipping remains under pressure.
By Marcus V. Thorne · Markets Editor
· 3 min read
U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. military could soon attack Pickaxe Mountain, an underground Iranian nuclear site, as U.S. Central Command carried out strikes on Iranian targets for an 11th consecutive night. The campaign has targeted military operations centers, drone storage sites and logistics infrastructure as Washington seeks to reduce Iran’s ability to control commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, according to CNBC.
The threat adds a nuclear dimension to a conflict already tied to one of the world’s most sensitive maritime chokepoints. It also raises attention on a facility described by CNBC as among Iran’s most secure and heavily protected sites.
What Trump said
Speaking in Washington on Tuesday, Trump said U.S. forces were likely to strike the area around Pickaxe Mountain soon. “We’ll be hitting that area very probably pretty soon, and there’s not a thing they can do about it,” Trump told reporters at the White House. He added that the attack would be “very heavily.”
Iran’s Khatam Al-Anbiya military command warned that an attack would represent “an explosion of war in the region,” according to comments reported by the BBC from Iran’s state-run IRIB broadcaster. The command also threatened attacks on “all the interests of America, the allies and supporters,” according to the same report.
Where the facility is
Pickaxe Mountain sits south of Iran’s Natanz enrichment plant. In Iran, the site is known as Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La, according to CNBC.
Construction began in 2020, according to the Institute for Science and International Security. At the time, Iran said the underground installation would replace a centrifuge plant at Natanz that had been destroyed, the institute said.
Satellite imagery has shown ongoing work at the mountain site. A Vantor image dated Nov. 14, 2025, showed tunnel construction activity and a large spoil pile near the Natanz nuclear complex at Pickaxe Mountain, according to the image caption carried by CNBC.
Why Hormuz remains central
The military pressure is unfolding after the U.S. and Iran signed an interim memorandum of understanding on June 17. That document halted military operations, called for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and created a 60-day period to negotiate a permanent agreement, including provisions for Iran’s nuclear program, according to CNBC.
The memorandum did not settle the future management of the Strait of Hormuz. That unresolved issue remains central because U.S. strikes are aimed in part at limiting Iran’s control over commercial shipping through the waterway, according to CNBC.
Pickaxe Mountain now sits at the intersection of the nuclear dispute and the maritime conflict. The site’s underground design and proximity to Natanz make it a prominent target in U.S. rhetoric, while Iran’s military warning signals that any strike could broaden the confrontation beyond the immediate facility.
This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.
