(SeaPRwire) –   New assessments indicate that Iran’s potentially most hazardous nuclear site is buried up to 100 meters deep beneath a granite mountain, and a nonproliferation expert has warned it must be “neutralized” before the U.S. war with Iran concludes.

This comes as fresh figures released Wednesday by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reveal that U.S. and Israeli forces launched Operation Epic Fury in late February and have since struck more than 7,800 targets in Iran as the conflict enters its 18th day.

“Before the United States and Israel end major combat operations against Iran, they must fulfill two urgent objectives,” Andrea Stricker, deputy director of the Nonproliferation Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, stated in a policy briefing.

“First, they must neutralize Pickaxe Mountain. Second, they must recover or eliminate stocks of highly enriched uranium to prevent them from falling into the hands of surviving regime elements, other adversarial states, or terrorist proxies.”

High-resolution satellite imagery from mid-February shows Iran has accelerated efforts to reinforce the site at Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La, known as “Pickaxe Mountain,” against potential airstrikes, according to the Institute for Science and International Security.

“At one of the eastern tunnel entrances, rock and soil can be observed pushed back and flattened over the tunnel portal,” the institute’s report noted.

“Additionally, a concrete-reinforced headworks for extending the tunnel entrance was added over the past month. This allows for extra overburden in the form of rock, soil, or concrete.”

The report further stated that “these efforts strengthen the tunnel portals and offer increased protection against airstrikes,” noting visible piles of construction materials near the entrances.

Preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon is among President Donald Trump’s stated war goals. 

In June 2025, U.S. forces conducted strikes against nuclear sites, including Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.

As of June 2025, Iran had approximately 441 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%, which—if further enriched to weapons-grade levels—would be sufficient for multiple nuclear weapons, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Rafael Grossi, the agency’s director general, also said on March 9 that the U.N. watchdog believes roughly 200 kilograms of Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile remains stored in deep tunnels at a nuclear complex outside Isfahan.

Grossi added that additional quantities of highly enriched uranium are believed to be located at another nuclear center in Natanz, where Iran has built a new fortified underground facility at Pickaxe Mountain.

On March 9, Trump highlighted Iran’s attempts to resume nuclear activity at a deeper site and stated Tehran has continued pursuing a nuclear weapon “even after we destroyed their key nuclear sites.”

“They began work at another site, a different location … that was shielded by granite. … They aimed to go much deeper and initiated the process,” Trump was reported as saying.

According to Stricker, the “different site” referenced by Trump is Pickaxe Mountain, where Iran has claimed it has been constructing a centrifuge assembly plant since 2021. The site is a mile from its Natanz enrichment plant.

“The size of the facility, along with the protection provided by the tall mountain, raised immediate questions about whether additional sensitive activities—such as uranium enrichment—are being planned,” the Institute for Science and International Security also noted in its report.

At the start of March, a vehicle was struck outside the site, presumably by Israel, The Wall Street Journal reported, suggesting the incident indicated close monitoring of the mountain by the U.S. and Israel.