US Signals Potential Strike on Iran's Underground Pickaxe Mountain Site
US President Donald Trump announced on September 4 that American forces could strike Iran’s heavily fortified underground Pickaxe Mountain nuclear facility very soon if military intelligence detects active movements at the location. Global diplomatic channels and regional defense planners face immediate operational adjustments as Washington maintains a five-month military campaign aimed at neutralizing Iranian strategic infrastructure.
Deeply Buried Centrifuge Complex Under Constant US Intelligence Surveillance
The Pickaxe Mountain site is situated adjacent to the damaged Natanz uranium-enrichment facility in Iran‘s central Isfahan province, housing two deeply buried tunnel systems designed to endure conventional aerial bombardment. Israeli intelligence assessments indicate that Iranian personnel relocated thousands of centrifuges into the fortified underground complex to safeguard enrichment assets. Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump stated that American intelligence networks continuously track all personnel moving throughout the installation.
“We know everybody that’s moving at Pickaxe; we know everybody that’s moving everywhere all over Iran,” Trump said, adding that any detected developments at the site would trigger immediate military strikes. Trump asserted that five months of targeted American action prevented Tehran from securing nuclear weapons, arguing the campaign averted wider strikes against regional partners and international targets.
The statement followed operations by US Central Command against Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps facilities, which targeted air-defense systems, radar installations, maritime assets, communications sites, and mine-laying capabilities. CENTCOM confirmed those strikes responded to IRGC attacks against commercial shipping vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and targeting of American military personnel.
Trump noted that US forces destroyed sophisticated Iranian radar systems twice in recent days, stating Iranian units appeared hesitant to deploy replacement radar units after those hits. Alongside direct actions, the United States approved a $5 billion sale of aerial bombs to Saudi Arabia.
Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the American strikes, asserting Washington violated Iranian national sovereignty while hitting civilian infrastructure across several provinces. Iranian officials reported that national armed forces launched defensive strikes against US military bases in West Asia that served as staging points for the American air operations.
