The Wall Street Journal reported that American and Israeli officials believe that Israeli intelligence thinks Iran has moved thousands of uranium enrichment centrifuges to deep tunnels within the "Mount of the Axe" site during the fall of last year, raising concerns about Tehran's ability to rebuild its nuclear program away from military targeting.

A Potential Target for a Major Strike

The site is located about 220 kilometers south of Tehran, just two kilometers from the Natanz nuclear complex, which has been attacked during previous confrontations between Iran on one side and the United States and Israel on the other. According to the Institute for Science and International Security, the Mount of the Axe facility, which is still under construction, was not among the targets that were bombed.

The newspaper noted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to convince U.S. President Donald Trump to resume a broad attack on Iran aimed at inflicting further damage on its nuclear program and preventing it from rebuilding its capabilities. It mentioned that the United States has intensified its attacks on Iran in recent days, and that Trump described in an interview on July 13 the Mount of the Axe site as a "potential target for a major strike," marking the first public statement identifying the site as a military target.

An Alternative for Centrifuge Assembly

The site is known within Iran as "Mount Kolanj," and has been monitored by the United States and Israel for years. It was established to serve as an underground alternative to the centrifuge assembly facility that was significantly damaged by an explosion in 2020, believed to be the result of sabotage.

The Institute for Science and International Security confirmed that activity at the site has continued at a steady pace over the past fifteen months, with truck movements, tunnel reinforcement work, and the establishment of a security perimeter, in addition to work on an older tunnel network dating back to 2007. The head of the institute, David Albright, believes that it is indeed likely that centrifuges have been moved to these tunnels.

Experts estimate that the complex is located at a depth ranging from 90 to 137 meters beneath solid rock, with enough space to accommodate several facilities related to the nuclear program, making it highly fortified.

What Are the Worst-Case Scenarios?

For his part, former U.S. National Security Council official on Iran, Nate Swanson, warned that Iran's history of secret nuclear activities makes any undisclosed activity inside a fortified underground site a major concern, noting that "covert nuclear breakout" represents the worst-case scenario. He called for enabling the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect the site to verify the nature of the ongoing activities.

Although the Mount of the Axe was not a primary target in previous attacks, officials and experts believe it could be used to store or manufacture nuclear equipment or to establish a small uranium enrichment facility. Experts also point out that the depth of the site makes it beyond the reach of most bunker-busting bombs, complicating military targeting, with the potential need for ground operations or specialized penetration methods.