Foreign Relations

Satellite Analysis Finds Record 2026 Activity at Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain

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Courtroom-sketch editorial illustration of an overhead view of the Pickaxe Mountain site, with pale-roofed buildings, tunnel work areas and branching access roads amid arid ridgelines, drawn in warm ochre and slate-blue pastel with cross-hatching on sepia newsprint.

CSIS analysts examining six years of satellite imagery found more construction activity at Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain in 2026 than at any earlier point in the record. The suspected nuclear site about two kilometers south of Natanz showed hardened tunnel portals, paved internal roads, reinforced access areas and flattened or removed excavation spoil. The analysts said activity since January suggests a transition from excavation toward probable internal construction and continued exterior reinforcement. They cautioned that imagery cannot confirm or refute claims that centrifuges were moved there and said the site does not yet appear capable of enrichment if that is its intended purpose.

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