Iran Shifted Nuclear Centrifuges To Pickaxe Mountain: Report
Iran has reportedly relocated nuclear centrifuges to a highly fortified underground facility known as Pickaxe Mountain. US and Israeli officials express concern that the site is deep enough to withstand conventional airstrikes.
Why it matters
The development of hardened nuclear facilities significantly complicates international efforts to monitor or neutralize Iran's nuclear program.
Iran has reportedly moved thousands of nuclear centrifuges into a heavily fortified underground complex near Natanz known as Pickaxe Mountain, making them far more difficult to destroy in airstrikes.According to a Wall Street Journal report citing US and Israeli officials, Israeli intelligence believes the transfer took place last autumn, months after the 12-day conflict in June 2025, when US and Israeli forces struck several of Iran's nuclear facilities.The Pickaxe site escaped those attacks and has also remained untouched since a more aggressive aerial campaign began on February 28.Buried Under 300 Feet Of GraniteThe facility is believed to be buried more than 300 feet beneath solid granite, making it significantly deeper than the enrichment plants at Natanz and Fordo that were bombed in 2025.The Wall Street Journal reported that satellite imagery and intelligence have shown truck movements and construction activity around the mountain for roughly 15 months, suggesting the site has…
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