&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Trump eyes Iran's buried Pickaxe Mountain nuclear facility as next potential target: Report")
US President Donald Trump is reportedly considering military strikes on Iran's underground Pickaxe Mountain nuclear complex, a facility that US and Israeli officials believe could play a future role in reviving Tehran's nuclear programme.
Citing US officials, The Wall Street Journal on Thursday (July 16) said Trump has been weighing possible military action against the site after receiving several days of briefings from senior aides.
According to the report, Iran began constructing the underground complex near the Natanz nuclear facility in 2020 after an aboveground uranium enrichment plant was damaged in what was widely believed to be an act of sabotage. A year later, then-Iranian nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi said the facility would house "sensitive" equipment.
WSJ, citing former US and Israeli officials, reported that the mountain complex could play a significant role in any future Iranian effort to rebuild its nuclear programme. However, it said construction appears to be incomplete, and it remains unclear whether any nuclear-related activity is currently taking place at the site.
The report also said Iran has not submitted design information for the facility to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said in March that inspectors should be granted access to the complex.
Trending Stories
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
National Handloom Day 2026: From Alia Bhatt to Samantha Ruth Prabhu; Actresses who celebrated India's textile heritage as brides
)
The Royals enter the Doctor Who universe: King Charles and Queen Camilla beam into Commonwealth Games in TARDIS
)
Unitree Robotics targets $9 billion valuation in landmark IPO backed by DeepSeek and Tencent
)
India names 27 sites in Arunachal Pradesh
)
Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata OTT: When will Kangana Ranaut's film stream online?
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
How many soldiers operate one S-400 battery?
)
Shakib Al Hasan ready to return to Bangladesh—under one condition
)
‘Fake news’: MEA rejects report claiming India sought defence pact with Israel after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey deal
)
Rockstar to unveil GTA 6 extended look ahead of November launch
)
Russia forms Ukrainian Volunteer Spetsnaz Brigade to fight Ukraine
)
Drug-resistant fungus that hides in hair and enters bloodstream reported in 23 US states
)
Technology transfer deal boosts India's defence manufacturing ambitions
)
Border row erupts in Europe after Ceuta crossings, Spain imposes border controls on Italy
)
Morale plummets on USS Abraham Lincoln: Are US sailors reaching a breaking point? | GRAVITAS
)
'Security can't be bought with Pakistan, Turkey deal': Iran tells Saudi Arabia
)
Baba Vanga's 2026 prophecy: 2 predictions 'already came true', 3 terrifying ones remain. Details inside
)
Colombia’s new president Abelardo de la Espriella vows to ‘defeat narco-terrorists’, signals hardline shift
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
New Friday OTT releases (August 7, 2026): Operation Safed Sagar, Vadhandhi, Main Vaapis Aaunga- 6 movies and TV shows on Netflix, Prime Video and more
)
Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth scripts history as Indian Air Force gets its first woman ‘Top Gun’ pilot
)
RSS says Gen Z protests reflect genuine distress
)
Trump says Iranian school bombing photos could be AI-generated - 'I don’t think...'
)
IAF officer held for sharing sensitive information in 'honey trap' case, booked under Official Secrets Act
)
Stray Kids under scrutiny? Fans react to Grammy submission silence after BTS boycott
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI doesn't need external fuel tanks to fly vast distances
)
Jugal Hansraj reunites with Shekhar Kapur after 40 years for Masoom: The Next Generation
)
New speed limits, automatic challans: Big traffic change coming to Delhi-Meerut Expressway. All you need to know
)
India officially names 27 places in Arunachal to counter China's renaming claims
)
Trump calls White House ballroom ruling a 'national disgrace' as court says Congress approval needed
)
US sanctions Iran’s crypto network after Strait of Hormuz attacks, offers $15m bounty for intel on IRGC finance
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI is one of the heaviest fighters ever built
)
Uttarakhand young innovator builds India's own flying vehicle, conducts first test flight: WATCH
)
Chilling video shows students take cover as teen opens fire at Thai school
)
Reese Witherspoon's father hospitalised after poolside incident in Nashville: Report
The Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security estimated in a 2022 report that the underground facility could span more than 5,000 square metres and could eventually accommodate a uranium enrichment plant alongside other nuclear-related activities. The think tank also said recent satellite imagery indicated construction resumed following the June 2025 conflict.
The newspaper quoted Dan Shapiro, a former senior Pentagon official in the Biden administration, as saying the site had become "a plausible target for attack" because Trump was concerned Iran could eventually reverse the damage inflicted on its nuclear programme during last year's war.
