Tensions between the United States and Iran have once again reached a boiling point, with Iran facing the threat of catastrophic attack. The US is reportedly preparing for its largest strike yet on Iran, after President Donald Trump warned that America would attack “Pickaxe Mountain” in Iran, sparking widespread discussion over what exactly this mountain is and what lies within it. Pickaxe Mountain refers to a hilly region located near Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility, situated about 220 kilometers from the capital Tehran and just 2 kilometers from the Natanz site itself. The name derives from the term “Kolang,” meaning pickaxe — a tool used for breaking rocks and hills — hence the name Pickaxe Mountain.
Experts say this is no ordinary mountain. Satellite imagery reportedly shows large tunnels and underground chambers built deep within it, estimated to lie at least 100 meters below the surface, with four tunnel entrances identified. The US is said to have kept this area under surveillance for a considerable time, amid suspicions that Pickaxe Mountain is linked to Iran’s nuclear program. Experts say construction work at the site began in 2020. Iran had previously stated that the halls being built inside the mountain would be used to manufacture advanced centrifuges, which are used in the uranium enrichment process. However, it remains unclear whether this facility is currently fully operational. Experts examining satellite imagery say construction work appears to still be ongoing, while Iran maintains that no nuclear activity is taking place there.
The primary reason for concern is Pickaxe Mountain’s close proximity to the Natanz nuclear facility, one of Iran’s key uranium enrichment sites. Reports indicate that Natanz sustained damage in recent US and Israeli strikes on Iran, but Pickaxe Mountain emerged from those strikes largely unscathed — a fact experts attribute mainly to its structures being built extremely deep within the mountain.
Whether US bombs can actually reach that depth is now the central question. The US possesses bunker-buster bombs designed to destroy heavily fortified underground military installations, with the GBU-57 considered among the most powerful of these. However, experts estimate that because the structures inside Pickaxe Mountain lie at such depth, completely destroying them would not be easy, with airstrikes more likely able to target only certain vulnerable points rather than the entire underground complex in a single strike. Heavy security has reportedly been established around Pickaxe Mountain, with tunnel entrances significantly reinforced. Satellite images show concrete and soil layers placed over some tunnel sections, and soil appears to have been piled at two eastern tunnel entrances, believed to be intended to block vehicle access.
While the Natanz nuclear facility has reportedly already sustained damage from strikes, Pickaxe Mountain, located just 2 kilometers away, has so far remained largely untouched. Structures built over 100 meters deep within the mountain, heavy security surrounding it, and suspicions linking it to Iran’s nuclear program have together made Pickaxe Mountain one of the most critical and secretive locations in Iran. Trump’s latest remarks have now intensified questions over whether the US will strike Pickaxe Mountain, and whether it can succeed in destroying the underground installations believed to lie within it.