Iran war: What is Pickaxe Mountain and why does Trump want to attack it?

Middle East Eye

ONP Summary

President Trump threatened July 21 to strike Iran's Pickaxe Mountain, an underground nuclear facility, 'pretty soon' and heavily, citing intelligence on nuclear centrifuges there. Iran's Foreign Ministry claimed the threats violate international law.

Progressive:Inflammatory brinkmanship — Progressive outlets emphasized Trump's threatening rhetoric as unilateral escalation without confirmed evidence of Iranian nuclear activity.

Moderate:Escalating military tensions — Centrist outlets reported Trump's threat factually while hedging on Iran's actions and raising international law concerns.

Conservative:Nuclear security threat — Conservative outlets presented Pickaxe Mountain as confirmed nuclear threat warranting strong military deterrence.

Iran war: What is Pickaxe Mountain and why does Trump want to attack it?

US President Donald Trump has threatened to attack Pickaxe Mountain, a fortified underground facility at the centre of renewed Israeli claims about Iran's nuclear programme.

"We'll be hitting that area very probably pretty soon. And there’s not a thing they can do about it," Trump said on Tuesday, as the US continued its attacks on Iran.

Tehran warned that any strike on its nuclear facilities would widen the regional war.

Israel says Iran transferred enriched uranium and advanced centrifuges to the mountain after US and Israeli attacks damaged other nuclear sites. It has provided no evidence, and Trump acknowledged that Washington could not confirm the assertion.

Read more: Iran war: What is Pickaxe Mountain and why does Trump want to attack it?

This handout satellite image courtesy of Vantor shows an overview of the Pickaxe Mountain tunnel complex adjacent to the Natanz Nuclear Facility near Natanz, Isfahan province, central Iran, on 30 June 2026 (Satellite image Vantor/AFP) ...

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