The newly fortified underground site is believed to be just minutes from the Natanz nuclear facility鈥攐ne of the three major locations targeted in last week鈥檚 American strikes.
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 鈥淧ickaxe Mountain,鈥 the newly fortified underground site is believed to be just minutes from the Natanz nuclear facility鈥攐ne of the three major locations targeted in last week鈥檚 American strikes. According to the New York Post, open-source satellite imagery and intelligence suggest this remote site may now be housing Iran鈥檚 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鈥攅nough, experts warn, to potentially build 10 nuclear warheads if Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei decides to pursue full weaponization.What鈥檚 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鈥攍ight enough to be transported by foot or in a small vehicle.Live EventsYou Might Also Like:When Russia stole 40 bombers of Kazakhstan鈥攁nd then got Ukraine鈥檚 in a gas debt dealThe Mystery of Pickaxe MountainSatellite 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鈥檚 Fordow nuclear site, raising suspicions that sensitive material had already been moved.U.S. intelligence officials say the missing uranium is now unaccounted for鈥攑osing a serious tracking and containment challenge, especially if it鈥檚 hidden deep underground.The IAEA sought answers from Tehran regarding the tunnel activity at Pickaxe Mountain. But Iran鈥檚 response was dismissive, with officials reportedly telling inspectors, 鈥淚t鈥檚 none of your business.鈥滻AEA Director General Rafael Grossi later said, 鈥淚t cannot be excluded鈥 that the site is being used to store undeclared nuclear materials.You Might Also Like:How an Indian engineer helped US make the stealth B-2 Spirit bomber and then sold the secrets to ChinaDespite public confidence from Washington, doubts persist. Former President Donald Trump insisted Iran couldn鈥檛 have moved its uranium before the strikes: 鈥淭hey didn鈥檛 have a chance to get anything out because we acted fast.鈥 He claimed it would鈥檝e 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鈥檚 sudden prominence鈥攁nd the mystery surrounding the missing uranium鈥攈as reignited fears about Iran鈥檚 long-term nuclear intentions and raised urgent questions about what might still be hidden beneath its mountains.You Might Also Like:Boeing E-4B Nightwatch: US’s ‘Doomsday Plane’ lands in Washington. Here’s all about the ‘Flying Pentagon'(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)
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