Israeli intelligence has assessed that Iran has moved thousands of nuclear centrifuges into a deep underground site in the Natanz area known as Pickaxe Mountain, making them harder to target in aerial strikes, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing US and Israeli officials.
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Iran is believed to have made the move last fall, following the 12-day war in June 2025 during which US and Israeli forces bombed Iran's nuclear facilities. The Pickaxe site was not targeted at that time, nor has it been hit since the start of a more intensive air campaign on February 28.
The site, buried over 300 feet under granite, is deeper than enrichment facilities at Natanz and Fordo that were struck in 2025. The Wall Street Journal reported that there has been activity at the site, including truck movements and construction, for approximately 15 months.
Centrifuges source unclear; IAEA denied access
It remains unclear where the centrifuges originated, though they may have been transferred from other Iranian nuclear sites, the report said. Iran has not allowed the International Atomic Energy Agency to access the site and has not provided specific details about its operations.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said in March that Iran had indicated in 2021 that it intended "to have nuclear activity" at Pickaxe, the report said.
US threatens to strike
US President Donald Trump said last week that "Pickaxe is a possible target for a nice big fat shot right near the front door," adding that the US would "probably give Pickaxe a shot relatively soon."
On Tuesday, Trump told reporters the US would hit the area where Iran's centrifuges are rumoured to be located "pretty soon" and "very heavily," warning Tehran could do nothing to stop it.
Nate Swanson, a former US National Security Council director for Iran during the Biden administration, told the WSJ that Iranian activity at an undeclared site was worrying. "A covert breakout is the worst-case scenario," he said, referring to production of a nuclear weapon. "We don't know what Iran's intentions are, but the fact that we can't verify this site underscores how problematic the status quo is."
Iran maintains its nuclear program is for civilian purposes, but has enriched uranium to just below weapons-grade, a level with no peaceful application.
