What Is Iran Building Now in the Zagros Mountains?
The one thing we can always trust about Iran is that we can't trust
Iran. Any agreement they make, they won't keep. Any promise they make,
they will break. Any time they claim they are telling the truth, they
are lying. These are constants.
So, when satellite photos reveal some new and suspicious construction deep in the rugged Zagros Mountains, it raises some questions.
One
of the leading American institutes devoted to research on the Islamic
Republic’s nuclear program sounded the alarm this week over the regime's
uninspected underground site in the Zagros Mountains. Inspectors from
the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have not been allowed to
visit the secret site, known as Pickaxe Mountain.
The highly
fortified facility is casting serious doubt on Iran’s willingness to
abide by the terms of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) reached with
the Trump administration. The United States, together with Israel, launched Operation Epic Fury on February 28, 2026, targeting Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities.
Experts
from the Washington-based Institute for Science and International
Security (ISIS) argue that halting work at Pickaxe Mountain and allowing
IAEA inspectors access would be a key good-faith measure to test whether Iran is prepared to abandon its pattern of deception.
The
converse is also true: If Iran refuses to halt work at Pickaxe Mountain
and also refuses to let IAEA inspectors visit the site, then they are
up to no good. That much is certain.
Recent
satellite imagery from late June 2026, of the Natanz Nuclear Complex
and the nearby Pickaxe Mountain facility, Fordow, and Esfahan, were
provided to the Institute by @vantortech.
At Natanz, little activity can be seen. The access points to the below ground enrichment… pic.twitter.com/on6isIGhNA
At
Pickaxe Mountain, vehicle activity can be seen on the roads leading to
the open set of Western tunnel portals, indicating that construction
inside the tunnel complex, as well hardening of the tunnel entrance, are
ongoing. The MOU signed between the United States and Iran requires
that Iran maintain the status quo which should prohibit construction at
any nuclear related facility, including Pickaxe Mountain. As first
reported by the Institute in early May (see: https://x.com/TheGoodISIS/status/2052111114259911117?s=20 ),
the Eastern set of tunnel portals remain partially backfilled with
dirt, making them inaccessible to ground vehicles. This was likely done
to prevent rapid ingress and egress to the tunnel entrances.
This
could be a last-ditch getaway for Iran's leadership, or what's left of
it. Or it could be Iran, trying to restart their nuclear weapons
program.
Note that this is near one of Iran's known nuclear facilities.
What
does all this mean? Well, once again, bear in mind, we can't trust the
Iranian regime. In fact, things in that regard may even be worse than
before Operation Epic Fury, as what's left of Iran's leadership is
scurrying about like a bunch of hydrophobic rats, and the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) appears to have taken control of what's
left of the military. Desperate men are not known for being rational,
and if there is enough nuclear capability left to resume this work that
they keep insisting they are ceasing, then they may see that as a way
out.
Here's the thing, and I've been saying and writing this for
years: If Iran manages to assemble a nuclear weapon, they will use it.
They may use it on Tel Aviv, or Haifa, or they may use it on New York -
but they'll use it.
Unless Iran is willing to come clean on what's going on at Pickaxe Mountain, this looks like one more for the target list.
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