President Donald Trump is openly floating military strikes on Iran’s underground nuclear facilities. Trump’s comments in late July 2026 singled out Pickaxe Mountain, a hardened facility near Iran’s Natanz enrichment complex, calling it a “possible target for a nice big fat shot.”
Bitcoin has already felt the tremor. CoinDesk reported that BTC declined more than 2% amid the escalating US-Iran tensions, as traders dialed back their risk appetite.
What is Pickaxe Mountain, and why does it matter
Pickaxe Mountain, formally known as Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La, sits roughly 2 kilometers from Iran’s well-known Natanz enrichment complex and about 220 kilometers south of Tehran. Construction on the facility began in fall 2020, after a significant incident damaged Iran’s centrifuge assembly capacity and forced the country to build a replacement.
Israeli intelligence estimates that thousands of uranium-enrichment centrifuges have been relocated into Pickaxe Mountain since the 2025-2026 conflicts. Trump confirmed the US has “eyes on” the facility.
