Pickaxe Mountain (Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La), an underground facility near Iran's Natanz nuclear complex, has drawn global attention after US President Donald Trump threatened possible military strikes, alleging it could support future nuclear activity.

Located about 220 km south of Tehran and 1.5-2 km from Natanz, the facility is built at least 100 metres below a 1,600-metre volcanic mountain, giving it natural blast protection.

Construction began in 2020 after an explosion damaged Iran's above-ground centrifuge assembly facility at Natanz; the IAEA has not been granted access to independently verify activity there.

Iran maintains its nuclear programme is peaceful, declared to the IAEA under safeguards, though the agency has faced challenges assessing Iran's centrifuge production capabilities.