Iran’s most heavily fortified nuclear facility, known as Pickaxe Mountain, is buried up to 100 meters beneath a granite mountain and has become a focal point in the ongoing war between Iran and Israel. Recent satellite imagery shows Tehran reinforcing tunnel entrances with additional rock, soil and concrete to guard against airstrikes, raising concerns among nonproliferation experts that the site could withstand conventional military attacks.

Operation Epic Fury, launched in late February by United States and Israeli forces, has struck more than 7,800 targets across Iran as fighting enters its third week. Analysts warn that before major combat operations conclude, the mountain facility must be neutralized and Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpiles must be secured or destroyed to prevent their use by hostile actors.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has reported that Iran possesses hundreds of kilograms of uranium enriched to near weapons grade, some of which is believed to be stored in deep underground tunnels near Isfahan and Natanz. President Donald Trump has stated that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon is a primary objective, noting efforts by Tehran to resume work at deeper, more protected sites despite previous strikes on key nuclear facilities.