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Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei denied on Wednesday that a secret nuclear facility exists beneath Pickaxe Mountain, dismissing U.S. allegations after President Donald Trump threatened to launch a heavy strike on the mountain near the Natanz nuclear complex.
Baqaei called Washington's focus on the mountain "nothing more than a fabricated pretext for aggression, destruction, and sabotage." He also insisted that "Iran's nuclear activities have been fully declared" to the U.N.'s atomic watchdog.
Trump threatened Iran on Tuesday that the U.S. forces would likely strike the Pickaxe Mountain site "pretty soon, and very heavily." He also ruled out immediate negotiations with Tehran, saying Washington had "no interest" in meeting Iran until it was ready for what he described as "meaningful" nuclear talks.
Reports by The Washington Post and The New York Times in 2025 claimed Iran had accelerated construction at a secret underground facility beneath the mountain, allegations Tehran has consistently denied.
The mountain is located near Iran's Natanz nuclear facility, which was bombed by the U.S. during a brief war in June 2025.
The renewed focus on Pickaxe Mountain comes as international inspectors remain unable to verify the status of Iran's nuclear program following last year's conflict.
Before U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) estimated that Tehran had accumulated roughly 440 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% purity, just below weapons-grade.
While that material would require further enrichment and weaponization before it could be used in a nuclear weapon, the stockpile has remained a central concern for Western governments.
Since the conflict, however, the U.N. nuclear watchdog has lost visibility over much of Iran's nuclear infrastructure.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has said inspectors can no longer verify the location or quantity of Iran's highly enriched uranium after Tehran suspended cooperation at several key facilities.
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