Pickaxe Mountain

Pickaxe Mountain (Eng. Pickaxe Mountain; Persian: کوه کلنگ, Kûh-i Kolang, full name کلنگ گزلا / Kolang Gaz La; also referred to in Turkish media as "Kazma Dağı") is a fortified underground complex constructed deep within a mountain in Isfahan Province, Iran, near the town of Natanz.^【1】 The facility is assessed to be linked to Iran’s nuclear program, and the Iranian government maintains in official statements that it serves solely as a centrifuge production and assembly site.^【2】 International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors have not been granted access to the facility to date. Pickaxe Mountain entered the international spotlight following IAEA inspection findings in February 2026 and U.S. President Donald Trump’s public targeting of the site in July 2026.

The name "Pickaxe Mountain" is a code name used in Western media and intelligence circles and is a direct translation of the site’s Persian name.^【3】 In Persian sources, the facility is referred to as "Kûh-i Kolang" or, in full, "Kolang Gaz La" (کلنگ گزلا).^【4】 In Turkish media, both "Pickaxe Mountain" and "Kazma Dağı" are used interchangeably, while Arabic media prefer the term "جبل الفأس" (Jabal al-Fas).

Pickaxe Mountain is located within Isfahan Province approximately 1.5 to 2 kilometers from the Natanz uranium enrichment facility.^【5】 The complex was constructed about 140 meters deep into the granite bedrock of a mountain at an elevation of approximately 1,600 meters; this elevation is nearly twice that of the mountain housing the Fordo nuclear facility.^【6】 In its January 2022 assessment, ISIS indicated that the underground galleries lie 78 to 145 meters