Israeli intelligence officials believe that Iran moved thousands of uranium-enrichment centrifuges into tunnels deep inside Pickaxe Mountain last fall, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing Israeli and US officials.
Israel shared the intelligence information with the US, saying the centrifuges were moved to Pickaxe last fall following the 12-day war in June 2025, during which the US used B-52 bombers to strike Iran’s three main nuclear sites.
An Israeli military official told the WSJ that the airstrikes did not sufficiently target Iran’s nuclear sites, warning that “there is more work to do,” including at Pickaxe Mountain.
According to the report, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has tried to persuade President Donald Trump to resume large-scale strikes on Iran to further disrupt Tehran’s nuclear program and reconstruction efforts.
Trump indicated last week that the US would be prepared to strike Pickaxe Mountain, which is located about 1.5 kilometers south of Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility.
“Pickaxe is a possible target for a nice big fat shot right near the front door,” Trump told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.
Pickaxe, which in Iran is called Mount Kolang Gaz La, has been monitored by U.S. and Israeli intelligence for years.
Experts estimate that the underground complex lies approximately 90 to 137 meters (295 to 450 feet) beneath solid rock and is extensive enough to accommodate multiple nuclear-related facilities.
Nate Swanson, who served on the U.S. National Security Council during the Biden administration, said Iran’s long record of covert nuclear activity makes any undeclared operations at such a heavily fortified underground site particularly alarming.
“A clandestine breakout is the worst‑case scenario,” Swanson said. “We don’t know what Iran’s intentions are, but the fact that we cannot verify what is happening at this site underscores how problematic the status quo is. We need the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect these places.”
Pickaxe Mountain was not a primary target during last year’s Israel–Iran war and was not struck in the latest U.S. military operation that began on Feb. 28. Still, officials and nuclear experts have long warned that Iran could use the tunnel complex to store or manufacture nuclear equipment, or even establish a small enrichment facility capable of producing weapons‑grade fissile material.
Reports earlier this month revealed that satellite imagery of Pickaxe Mountain showed construction taking place at the site, with trucks moving in and out of the facility.
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
