US President Donald Trump issued a military threat against Iran's underground nuclear facility in the Zagros Mountains. In an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, Trump said, "Pickaxe is a possible target for a nice, big, fat hit on its front door," and added: "We will destroy Pickaxe Mountain. Tell the Iranians to get ready. Let them know, we are coming. There is nothing they can do about it."
The Iranian government describes the heavily fortified facility, construction of which began in 2020, as a centrifuge assembly plant. However, the fact that International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors have not been allowed to visit the site raises concerns that it could be used for covert purposes such as uranium enrichment. Experts note that because the facility is buried very deep, it is unclear whether it could be destroyed by airstrikes alone.
Trump said the US government has "many eyes" on Pickaxe Mountain and that there is currently "no activity" at the facility. However, according to a July 2 statement from the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security, satellite imagery from late June detected vehicle movement at the Pickaxe Mountain tunnel complex indicating that construction and hardening of the entrance were continuing.
The Pickaxe Mountain facility is located about a mile from Natanz, one of three Iranian nuclear sites bombed by the US military in June 2025. Since then, Iran has only allowed the IAEA to visit non-proliferation-sensitive sites such as the Tehran Research Reactor and the commercial nuclear facility at Bushehr.
US and Iranian negotiators were expected to address inspector access during the 60-day nuclear talks set by the preliminary agreement. However, in his Monday interview, Trump dismissed the deal, calling it a "test" that "doesn't mean much."
Shortly after Trump's remarks, in which he said, "We're going to hit them very hard tonight, and we'll hit them hard tomorrow," US Central Command announced that a third consecutive night of strikes on Iran had begun "at the direction of the commander-in-chief." The statement said the operations would "continue to impose heavy costs on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz."
