International Atomic Energy Agency confirms new construction at Iranian nuclear site

The International Atomic Energy Agency has confirmed construction activity at one of Iran’s most secretive nuclear facilities, a deeply buried tunnel complex known as Pickaxe Mountain. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi announced the findings on September 10, based on satellite imagery showing fresh building work at the site roughly 2 km south of Iran’s main uranium enrichment plant at Natanz. The timing is not subtle. On the same day Grossi made the announcement, the IAEA’s Board of Governors voted to refer Iran to the UN Security Council for non-compliance with nuclear safeguards. It’s the first such referral in two decades, a diplomatic escalation that signals the international community’s patience has essentially run out. What’s happening at Pickaxe Mountain Pickaxe Mountain, or Kuh-e Kolang-e Gazela in Farsi, is an underground tunnel complex carved into a mountain near Natanz. The facility features hardened portals and advanced underground tunnel networks, with chambers considerably deeper than known facilities like Fordow. The IAEA has never actually been inside the facility. Despite years of requests, Iran has refused to grant inspectors access. Everything the agency knows ...