All about Pickaxe Mountain, Iran’s secret underground site that may be hiding the missing 900 pounds of uranium

Amid growing suspicion that Iran may have secretly relocated parts of its nuclear stockpile before recent U.S. airstrikes, a new report suggests the missing uranium could be hidden beneath a new mountain fortress.

Dubbed “Pickaxe Mountain,” the newly fortified underground site is believed to be just minutes from the Natanz nuclear facility—one of the three major locations targeted in last week’s American strikes. According to the New York Post, open-source satellite imagery and intelligence suggest this remote site may now be housing Iran’s missing 900 pounds of enriched uranium.



Earlier this year, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) admitted it had lost track of 409 kilograms (about 902 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60% purity—enough, experts warn, to potentially build 10 nuclear warheads if Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei decides to pursue full weaponization.

What’s more alarming is how easily such a cache could be moved. According to U.S. estimates, the uranium could fit in 16 metal cylinders, each roughly the size of a scuba tank and weighing just 25 kilograms—light enough to be transported by foot or in a small vehicle.

The Mystery of Pickaxe Mountain

Satellite images from Maxar Technologies and Google Earth reveal a rapidly expanding complex at Pickaxe Mountain, including freshly excavated tunnels and enhanced perimeter security. Notably, just days before the June 13 airstrikes, satellite photos showed dozens of cargo trucks gathered outside Iran’s Fordow nuclear site, raising suspicions that sensitive material had already been moved.


U.S. intelligence officials say the missing uranium is now unaccounted for—posing a serious tracking and containment challenge, especially if it’s hidden deep underground.

The IAEA sought answers from Tehran regarding the tunnel activity at Pickaxe Mountain. But Iran’s response was dismissive, with officials reportedly telling inspectors, “It’s none of your business.”

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi later said, “It cannot be excluded” that the site is being used to store undeclared nuclear materials.


Despite public confidence from Washington, doubts persist. Former President Donald Trump insisted Iran couldn’t have moved its uranium before the strikes: “They didn’t have a chance to get anything out because we acted fast.” He claimed it would’ve taken Iran weeks to relocate the material safely.

However, the evidence of truck movement at Fordow suggests some uranium could have already been smuggled out and possibly stashed at Pickaxe Mountain.

What Lies Beneath?

The true extent of damage from the U.S. strikes remains unclear, as does the current state of Pickaxe Mountain. But the site’s sudden prominence—and the mystery surrounding the missing uranium—has reignited fears about Iran’s long-term nuclear intentions and raised urgent questions about what might still be hidden beneath its mountains.