Iran is reportedly accelerating major underground construction at a secluded mountain site, prompting fresh international concern that Tehran is cautiously rebuilding its suspected nuclear infrastructure months after devastating US-Israeli airstrikes. Satellite images, corroborated by independent analysis, show heightened activity at Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La, known as Pickaxe Mountain, suggesting a shift in strategy toward extreme secrecy.
Engineers initiated tunneling into the Zagros Mountains near the Natanz complex in 2020. The facility is being built at an estimated depth of 260 to 330 feet underground, making it even deeper than the Fordow site. While Iran claims the project is merely a replacement centrifuge production plant, analysts caution that the dimensions and depth are more suitable for highly secretive activities, such as advanced uranium enrichment or the storage of near-weapons-grade material.
The true purpose of the facility remains opaque, as international inspectors have been denied access. IAEA Director Rafael Mariano Grossi confirmed earlier this year that Iranian officials rebuffed his requests for clarity on the site. Anonymous US officials have verified that intelligence agencies are closely monitoring the construction, though the CIA has offered no public comment. (Read More)
