US President Donald Trump's threats to destroy the "Pickaxe Mountain" nuclear site in Iran, known in Arabic as "Jabal al-Fa's", have raised widespread questions about the nature of this site and its importance to Tehran.

Trump said Monday in a television interview: "We will take out Pickaxe Mountain. Tell the Iranians to be ready."

The US president added: "We are watching the site closely. We see no activity there. Every time we hear about it, we blow it up, and we will likely strike it relatively soon."

What is "Mount Pickaxe"?

A site inside a mountain about 1.6 kilometers south of the Natanz nuclear facility, known in Persian as "Kuh-e Kolang-e Gaz La".

It consists of a highly fortified tunnel complex dug deep into the mountain, making it one of the most difficult Iranian sites to target.

"Mount Pickaxe" has drawn analysts' attention since 2020, after satellite images showed extensive excavation work and the construction of a vast tunnel network inside it.

Mysterious facility

So far, Iran has not officially announced the nature or purpose of the facility, nor have IAEA inspectors been able to enter it. The agency has not classified the site as a nuclear facility, stating that not being allowed access prevents it from verifying the activities conducted inside.

JD Vance reveals fate of Iranian enriched uranium stockpile

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JD Vance reveals fate of Iranian enriched uranium stockpile

Why does it raise concern?

According to US intelligence reports, the facility was built under hundreds of meters of solid granite rock to be fortified against bunker-buster bombs.

According to Al-Monitor, US intelligence believes that Iran is seeking to establish a secret, undeclared uranium enrichment facility, serving as a "strategic backup option" to preserve its nuclear program in case other facilities come under attack.

In response, Tehran insists that the site is only for assembling and manufacturing advanced centrifuges, not for uranium enrichment.

What is inside the site?

Estimates from the Institute for Science and International Security and the Center for Strategic and International Studies indicate that the complex has 4 main entrances leading to tunnels extending 80 to 100 meters deep into the rock, giving it a level of fortification surpassing many other Iranian nuclear facilities.

The Institute for Science and International Security believes the site could in the future become an integrated center for rebuilding Iran's centrifuge program, from manufacturing components to assembling devices and ultimately to uranium enrichment operations.

However, the institute stresses that the facility is not yet ready for operation, and there are no indications that it is currently active or that it contains a stockpile of enriched uranium.

But some estimates suggest that "Mount Pickaxe" may be the site where quantities of enriched uranium, believed to have been moved by Tehran before US strikes during the 12-day war last June, could be stored.

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