Spectre

In light of Trump’s threat to strike Pickaxe Mountain, there are several important factors to consider ahead of any possible attack on the facility tonight. Pickaxe Mountain is a deeply buried underground nuclear complex located near Natanz. The facility is believed to sit more than 100 metres beneath the mountain, making it one of the most heavily fortified sites in Iran. Reports indicate that Iran has moved thousands of centrifuges into the complex, while enriched uranium may also be stored inside. The site is considered so well protected that the United States did not attempt to strike it during the previous war, despite targeting several other major Iranian nuclear facilities. Even the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, the most powerful conventional bunker-buster in the U.S. arsenal, may be unable to reach and completely destroy the deepest sections of the complex. A conventional strike could collapse tunnel entrances, destroy ventilation systems and damage surface infrastructure, but it may not eliminate the underground halls themselves. Some reports have therefore suggested that a tactical nuclear weapon could be the only way to fully destroy the facility. The reported presence of both centrifuges and enriched uranium is important to consider. If Iran has installed operational centrifuge cascades inside Pickaxe Mountain and transferred uranium into the facility, it could potentially continue enriching the material to weapons-grade levels from deep beneath the mountain. This would make Pickaxe Mountain not only one of Iran’s most protected nuclear sites, but potentially the central location from which the country could rebuild or accelerate its nuclear program.