Iran's 'Pickaxe Mountain,' Threatened by Trump, Believed to Be Secret Nuclear Site

Mt. Kouh-e Kolang, which U.S. President Trump threatened on the 21st (local time) to strike "very strongly" soon, is suspected by the West and Israel to be a new underground nuclear facility.

The mountain is located about 2 kilometers southwest of the Natanz nuclear complex in central Iran.

Locally, it is called "Kouh-e Kolang" (Pickaxe Mountain) after its shape, and the broader area is also referred to as "Kouh-e Kolang Gaz La."

Satellite imagery shows two tunnel-like entrances dug into both the east and west sides beneath the ridge.

According to the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), a U.S. think tank, the mountain stands at an elevation of 1,608 meters, with an altitude difference of about 100 meters from the western entrance and about 50 meters between the two entrances.

Based on such topographical data, the United States, Israel, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) suspect that Iran may have constructed a fairly extensive nuclear facility 80 to 100 meters underground beneath this granite mountain.

It is deeper than the underground nuclear facilities in Natanz and Fordow that the U.S. reportedly destroyed with bunker-buster bombs in June of last year, meaning it might not be neutralized even by those weapons.

It remains unclear whether this underground facility is currently under construction or already operational.

The exact purpose of the facility is also unclear.

The general assessment is that construction at Pickaxe Mountain accelerated after an above-ground centrifuge assembly plant within the Natanz nuclear complex suffered major damage from an unexplained fire in July 2020.

The belief is that Iranian authorities, suspecting the fire was an Israeli sabotage operation, sought a safer location.

While Iran claims it is a peaceful facility for assembling centrifuges, the U.S. and Israel suspect its goal is to conduct high-enriched uranium enrichment activities.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi noted last year, "When we ask, 'What is this facility for?', they reply, 'It is none of your business.'"
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.