Pickaxe Mountain: What to know about Iran's underground nuclear site

Key Points:

• U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Iran’s under-construction nuclear site at Pickaxe Mountain, located near the Natanz enrichment facility, amid ongoing tensions between the two countries.
• Pickaxe Mountain is believed to be a deeply buried underground facility, possibly 80 to 100 meters underground, where Iran may be developing uranium enrichment capabilities protected from airstrikes.
• The site was built after previous sabotage attacks on Natanz, and its size suggests it could house centrifuge cascades to enrich uranium, potentially challenging the effectiveness of U.S. bunker-buster bombs.
• Trump indicated that the U.S. might soon strike the site despite uncertainties about its defenses, while Iran has reported attacks on other nuclear-related sites during the conflict but denies damage to its nuclear power plants.
• Iran’s nuclear program has long been a concern for the West, with Iran insisting it is peaceful, though it would need significant time and resources to develop a nuclear weapon, a process complicated by international monitoring and intelligence efforts.