On Thursday, President Donald Trump told Newsmax that Washington was exploring a strike on Iran's Pickaxe Mountain facility, a deep‑buried site 1.5 km south of Natanz.
Pickaxe Mountain, buried beneath 600 m of granite, is believed to house relocated centrifuges and possibly enriched uranium, according to intelligence reports. Iran's spokesperson Esmail Baghaei denied any nuclear activity at the site, calling the U.S. threat a "fabricated pretext for aggression."
Trump declined to deploy nuclear weapons, insisting the U.S. could achieve its objectives with conventional ordnance. He also ruled out sending ground troops, though he left open the possibility of using the GBU‑43/B MOAB against Iranian energy infrastructure.
The White House has not yet authorized any air strikes, and the Pentagon will review the intelligence before making a decision. A formal announcement is expected once the assessment is complete.