Donald Trump boasted that the US ‘took bomb out of Iran’s hands’ after his devastating strikes on key nuclear sites – but the rogue state could be hiding enriched uranium under ‘Pickaxe mountain’
Iran’s hidden underground lair known as ‘Pickaxe Mountain’ is feared to be hiding weapons-grade uranium – and is likely to be safe from US bombs.
The entrance to the buried fortress lies only a few minutes away from the Natanz nuclear facility, one of the three nuclear sites hit in Donald Trump’s surprise attack on Iran at the weekend. While the US president has since boasted that had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear programme and “took bomb out of their hands”, questions remain unanswered as to just how many nuclear components the rogue state has been able to hide away – with satellite images showing lorries near the ultra-secure ‘Pickaxe’ underground complex hours before the attacks took place.
While Fordow – a similar underground site that sustained serious damage in the attacks – had two tunnel entrances, Pickaxe has at least four, which are hidden at opposite side of the mountains.
It’s also thought to go much deeper, stretching as much as 100 metres (328ft) beneath the surface, making it more resistant to bombing attempts.
Suspicions were first raised about the underground development earlier this year when aerial photographs showed a newly excavated tunnel and a security checkpoint close to the existing Natanz site.
Rafael Grossi, director general of the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency, said in April that he had asked Tehran what had been going on at the new site – and was told to mind his own business.
He revealed: “Since it is obvious it is in a place where numerous and important activities related to the programme are taking place, we’re asking them, what is this for? They are telling us, it’s none of your business.”
Mr Grossi said that while he did not want to speculate one what the tunnels would be used for, it “cannot be excluded” that they were hiding undeclared nuclear materials, adding: “I’ve been raising this issue repeatedly, and I will continue to do so”.
He called again on Monday for inspectors to be given access to Iran’s nuclear sites to “account for” its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium.
But relations between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency reached a new low today after the nation’s parliament approved a bill to suspend all cooperation with the nuclear watchdog, branding it a “political instrument”.
Donald Trump meanwhile announced today that US and Iranian officials are due to talk next week to resume talks on their nuclear programme, which had interrupted by the recent outbreak of hostilities between Israel and Tehran.
He told a press conference during the NATO summit in the Netherlands: “I’ll tell you what, we’re going to talk with them next week, with Iran. We may sign an agreement, I don’t know.”
A ceasefire between Israel and Iran entered its third day today, and is believed to have held despite Trump’s foul-mouthed criticism of both countries’ actions in the hours leading up to the truce.