Israel has once again claimed that Iran may be preparing to continue its nuclear program behind the scenes. Israeli intelligence agency Mossad believes that Iran had last year transported the centrifuges used in its uranium enrichment to a Behr Safe underground hall called Pickaxe Mountain. The agency claims that in future Iran can restart its nuclear program from this place.

This claim has come at a time when there is tension between America and Iran and debate is going on at the international level regarding the nuclear program. Israel and America have long been alleging that Iran’s nuclear program is not limited to energy production only, while Iran has been continuously denying these allegations.

ISRA INTELELI: IRAN MOVED THOUSANDS OF CENTRIFUGES DEEP UNDERGROUND

Israeli intelligence reportedly believes Tehran transferred thousands of nuclear centrifuges into the Pickaxe Mountain tunnel complex near Natanz after the June 2025 war.

Buried beneath hundreds of feet of… pic.twitter.com/1X3448myqG

— Mossad Commentary (@MOSSADil) July 21, 2026

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American newspaper claims

A report in the American newspaper Wall Street Journal quoted Israeli and American officials as saying that after the 12-day Israel-Iran conflict in June last year, Tehran had transferred its uranium enrichment centrifuges to deep tunnels under Pickaxe Mountain. According to the report, Israel has also shared this information with America.

What is Pickaxe Mountain?

Pickaxe Mountain, also known as Mount Kolang, is a very safe underground hall in Iran. It is located near the Natanz Uranium Enrichment Centre, which has been the target of attacks in the past as well. There is a large network of deep underground tunnels in this complex. Many experts believe that these tunnels are so deep that even America’s most powerful bunker-buster bombs cannot destroy them completely. Iran had developed this place as an alternative to the underground centrifuge assembly center, which was destroyed in an explosion in 2020.

Concern increased regarding activity

According to the Institute for Science and International Security, the Pickaxe Mountain area has seen an increase in truck traffic and construction activity in recent months. The report said that the tunnels are being further strengthened and construction of large-scale infrastructure is going on. Experts and Israeli officials fear that Iran could use these tunnels to safeguard nuclear machines or to establish a small but effective uranium enrichment facility. For this reason Israel is expressing special concern about this place.

Why are centrifuges important?

Centrifuges are machines that are used to spin uranium gas, separate its isotopes and enrich it. Enriched uranium is also used in nuclear energy production and in case of excessive enrichment, it can also be used in making nuclear weapons. This is the reason why the big powers of the world keep an eye on the activities of these machines.

What does Iran have to say?

Contrary to Israel and America’s allegations, Iran has consistently maintained that its nuclear program is entirely for peaceful purposes. Iran claims that it is running this program for nuclear energy production and scientific research and has no intention of making nuclear weapons. Iran has tried to assure many times in international forums that its nuclear program is not for military purposes. However, the concerns of Israel and Western countries still remain, due to which this issue remains an important topic related to Middle East politics and global security.

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