Iran Hardens Pickaxe Mountain, Rebuilds Taleghan 2 as Russia and China Veto U.N. Monitoring
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 17
Iran Hardens Pickaxe Mountain, Rebuilds Taleghan 2 as Russia and China Veto U.N. Monitoring
2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 17
Summary
Sept. 11 and Sept. 13 satellite imagery shows Iran adding soil and roadblocks around Pickaxe Mountain’s tunnel entrances near Natanz while rapidly rebuilding the Taleghan 2 facility at Parchin.
The Institute for Science and International Security said the extra earth at Pickaxe would better shield entrances from aerial bombardment, while restricted access suggests the site is not in normal use but may still hold valuable equipment or materials.
At Taleghan 2, imagery showed a tarp covering the destroyed hardened facility and heavy machinery on site, along with new concrete reinforcement that could add protection after Israeli strikes in October 2024 and March 2026.
The Pickaxe work came a week after Trump warned Iran not to "get cute" and said the U.S. could hit the site, though analysts cited in the report said Washington could still target and bury entrances even if the underground complex is hard to destroy.
At the U.N., Russia and China vetoed a U.S. resolution to extend the Iran sanctions-monitoring panel through September 2027, underscoring a widening split over whether 2015 nuclear-deal sanctions were legally restored through snapback.