What to Know About Pickaxe Mountain

Institute for Science and International Security  |  David Albright, Sarah Burkhard, Spencer Faragasso

US President Donald Trump announced on July 13, 2026, that the underground Pickaxe Mountain nuclear facility in Iran is a potential target for US military strikes, warning the Iranian government to prepare for its destruction. Although satellite imagery indicates the site is currently non-operational, construction continues on the heavily fortified tunnel complex.

Located south of the Natanz enrichment plant, this facility under Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La was initiated in late 2020 to replace a destroyed above-ground advanced centrifuge assembly plant. The deep underground complex features two pairs of hardened tunnel entrances and could potentially house a centrifuge enrichment plant or weaponization activities. While physical defenses include concrete reinforcement and security perimeters, the facility remains vulnerable to precision aerial strikes targeting its ventilation shafts and open western portals. If targeted, such strikes could temporarily deny access, though ground operations or deep earth-penetrating weapons would be required to permanently disable the subterranean halls.

Comment

Compromised structural schematics for Fordow and Shahid Boroujerdi reveal that ventilation shafts represent the primary vulnerability for deeply buried facilities. Precision strikes on these shafts bypass the protective mountain overburden to collapse internal halls. Without precise schematics of Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La, kinetic options are limited to sealing tunnel portals. This makes the deployment of deep-penetrating munitions like the GBU-57 entirely dependent on prior intelligence mapping.

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