WASHINGTON, D.C. July 20, 2026 – President Donald Trump stated Tuesday that the United States will soon strike Iran’s deeply buried underground facility known as Pickaxe Mountain “very heavily,” asserting that Tehran has no way to prevent the attack.
Speaking to reporters at the White House after meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Trump was asked whether Iran had moved nuclear centrifuges into the site near Natanz.
“We follow the material. That’s where the action is, and we’ll be hitting that area very probably pretty soon and very heavily,” Trump said. “There’s not a thing they can do about it. You know, normally I wouldn’t say that. If I thought they could do something about it, I would never say that. But we’ll be hitting that area pretty soon, and very heavily.”
The remarks come amid ongoing U.S. military pressure on Iran following previous strikes on its nuclear infrastructure.
Pickaxe Mountain (Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La) is a mountain complex located roughly 2 km south of Iran’s main Natanz nuclear enrichment facility. It contains extensive underground tunnel systems that Western intelligence agencies and nuclear experts suspect are being used — or prepared — for uranium enrichment activities or centrifuge manufacturing and storage.
The site is significantly deeper and more fortified than the Fordow facility, which was previously targeted in U.S. and Israeli strikes. Satellite imagery has shown continued construction activity, vehicle movement, and efforts to harden tunnel entrances in recent months.
Iran maintains that the facility is intended for centrifuge production, but it has never been inspected by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), raising concerns it could serve as a covert site for advancing Iran’s nuclear program.
Satellite imagery of the area near Natanz showing the broader nuclear complex and surrounding terrain where Pickaxe Mountain is located.
Trump’s comments build on earlier statements he made on July 13 during an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt, in which he said the U.S. would “take out Pickaxe Mountain” and told Iranians to “be ready.”
The latest warning reflects Washington’s determination to prevent Iran from reconstituting its nuclear capabilities after major damage inflicted on sites at Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan in 2025.
Due to the extreme depth of the tunnels, the facility presents significant challenges for conventional weapons, a point frequently raised by analysts.
Iranian authorities have not yet issued an official response to Tuesday’s comments.
The situation remains fluid as the U.S. continues operations against Iranian targets.
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