Iran at the time said the underground halls were intended to replace the destroyed above-ground advanced centrifuge assembly facility at the Natanz site, according to ISIS.
“It’s a very deep facility. We don’t know exactly how deep, but it’s very likely at least 100 meters deep,” James Acton, co-director of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, tells TIME.
“There’s just no way to destroy this facility. The best one can do is try to collapse the tunnel entrances.”
Is Pickaxe Mountain a functioning site?
Trump said earlier this month that the U.S. is watching Pickaxe Mountain “closely” and doesn’t see any activity there.
ISIS’ assessment, based on satellite imagery, is that the facility is not yet operational, but construction continues.
The think tank said it “remains unclear when Pickaxe Mountain could be operational… It is also unclear if Iran still plans on installing a large-scale assembly facility, given the destruction of Iran’s centrifuge program, including Iran’s ability to make centrifuge components needed for an assembly plant.”
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