Trump Targets Iran's 'Pickaxe Mountain'... Even U.S. Weapons May Struggle to Penetrate It

Trump Hints at Attacks After Midterm Elections
"Highlighting Achievement of Neutralizing Iran's Nuclear Capabilities"

U.S. President Donald Trump again mentioned the suspected new underground nuclear facility in Iran known as “Pickaxe Mountain” as a potential target. Analysts believe a nuclear facility may have been built deep underground there, making it difficult to destroy even with the United States’ most advanced weapons.

U.S. President Donald Trump. Yonhap News Agency.

According to major foreign media outlets on Nov. 1, President Trump identified Pickaxe Mountain on Oct. 31 (local time), three days before the midterm elections, as a place that “needs to be dealt with.” Located about 1.5 km south of the Natanz nuclear complex, Iran’s largest uranium enrichment facility, Pickaxe Mountain is considered one of the nuclear-related sites that was not attacked by the United States and Israel.

According to the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), a U.S. think tank, Pickaxe Mountain consists of solid granite, and a large-scale nuclear facility is believed to have been built 80 to 100 meters underground. Even the GBU-57, the United States’ most powerful bunker-buster, can penetrate only about 18 meters of concrete or 61 meters of soil, leading to speculation that it would be difficult to completely destroy the facility.

The United States and Israel suspect that some of Iran’s highly enriched uranium may be stored there. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) estimated that, as of last year, Iran had about 440 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%. However, it has not been confirmed whether uranium is actually stored at Pickaxe Mountain.

Iran has countered that the facility is intended for the production and assembly of advanced centrifuges and that no nuclear activities are taking place there.

President Trump has hinted at the possibility of further attacks on Iran after the midterm elections on Nov. 3. Some analysts say he may be seeking to highlight the achievement of neutralizing Iran’s nuclear capabilities through an airstrike on Pickaxe Mountain.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.