A suspected Iranian nuclear facility, carved deep into granite at Pickaxe Mountain, has undergone a significant increase in construction activity throughout the current year. Located approximately 140 miles south of Tehran near the Natanz nuclear complex, the site has become a focal point for intelligence agencies who believe it serves as a secure location for Iran to safeguard its nuclear program.
A new analysis from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, based on six years of satellite imagery, identifies a clear surge in construction at the site. Experts suggest the facility is likely intended to house sensitive operations, potentially serving as a centrifuge assembly plant, an enrichment center, or a secure bunker for nuclear weapons-related tasks such as uranium metal conversion. While the site shows signs of shifting from initial excavation to internal development and exterior reinforcement, analysts caution that it does not yet appear capable of conducting active enrichment.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly signaled that the site is a potential target, telling reporters last week, “We may hit Pickaxe very soon,” and noting that authorities are monitoring movements at the location. The U.S. military maintains active operational plans for potential strikes against the facility, which was included in a target package under consideration earlier this summer. However, the granite composition of the mountain poses a significant challenge, as it remains unclear if even the Pentagon’s heaviest non-nuclear munitions can penetrate deep enough to destroy the facility.
In response to these challenges, the U.S. has intensified efforts to develop capabilities against deeply buried targets. Four days before the onset of the current conflict, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency authorized a $1.2 million emergency contract to repair a unique subterranean test facility at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. This “rapid test prep,” awarded to Pate Construction, was mandated by a time-sensitive national security directive to validate classified capabilities against emerging threats. Sources familiar with the matter confirmed that these plans were directly linked to the war with Iran and the need to simulate strikes against hardened nuclear facilities.
Satellite imagery shows that excavation work began at the White Sands test site between February 16 and February 18, coinciding with the emergency contract award. This location, known as the Alternate Seismic Hardrock in Situ Test Site, is also carved into granite. While the Pentagon did not comment on the specific purpose of the work, the activity continued through mid-March. These efforts complement ongoing military initiatives to develop a “next generation penetrator” bomb, following the award of a prototype contract in September 2025 and an Air Force solicitation for new weapons technology in June.
The U.S. previously targeted Iranian nuclear sites in June 2025 during Operation Midnight Hammer. While those strikes successfully destroyed several key locations, military officials have acknowledged that existing bunker-busting munitions, such as the Massive Ordnance Penetrator, were insufficient to neutralize deeply buried sites like the one at Isfahan. As the conflict persists, Defense Department elements continue to hold “planning sprints” to refine strategies for targeting Iran’s most protected underground infrastructure. The report also notes that even as US forces have largely focused on other types of targets during the six-month conflict with Iran, but there are signs the US is working to devise some means of striking those sites. The report also notes that the document from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency was uploaded to a federal database on February 27 — the day before the war started. The report also notes that according to federal contracting records, the timing aligns with that of the emergency contract: Pate Construction provided an estimate for the test work on February 17 and received the deal the next day. The report also notes that according to the imagery, the round of activity appeared to halt then. The report also notes that nor could confirm the purpose of the work at the DTRA test site observed via satellite imagery, could not independently verify whether the test occurred. The report also notes that the Pentagon did not immediately reply to questions from. The report also notes that the CSIS analysts argued the construction at the site “has shifted from active excavation toward probably internal construction and continued exterior reinforcement.” Pickaxe Mountain in 2026 has seen “more road activity” than ever before, and additional work has included “raising and hardening of the (tunnel) portal accesses, paving of the internal road network, reinforcement around access areas, in their report. The report also notes that and the flattening and removal” of dirt excavated while building its tunnels, the report said.
