What is Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain, the mystery site Trump warns he’ll attack?

What Happened

US President Donald Trump threatened to destroy Iran's 'Pickaxe Mountain' nuclear complex, a heavily fortified underground site south of Tehran, during an interview with The Hugh Hewitt Show. He stated, 'We're going to take out Pickaxe Mountain. Tell the Iranians to be ready.' The complex, under construction since 2020, is reported by US intelligence to possibly house a secret uranium-enrichment facility, while Iran claims it is solely for assembling advanced centrifuges. The threat coincided with a third night of US strikes: CENTCOM announced precision-guided munitions targeted Iranian coastal-defense systems, missile and drone sites, and naval capabilities across southern Iran. Iranian media reported explosions near Kish, Qeshm, and Abu Musa islands, Bandar Abbas, and Jam, with four injuries in Omidiyeh. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) accused the US of endangering global oil supplies.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

A US strike on Pickaxe Mountain would target a deeply buried, suspected nuclear site, potentially crippling Iran's nuclear hedge and escalating the conflict into a direct assault on its most fortified assets. This risks severe disruption to Strait of Hormuz oil transit, global price spikes, and further retaliatory cycles between the US, Iran, and regional proxies, while testing the viability of any backchannel diplomacy.

Watch For

Whether Trump authorizes strikes on Pickaxe Mountain; any renewed IAEA inspections or reports on the site's purpose; Iranian retaliation via Hezbollah, Houthis, or direct missile launches; and whether Oman-mediated talks progress, as Trump simultaneously signals openness to a deal.