IAEA confirms nuclear activity in Iran's Pickax mountain
IAEA confirms nuclear activity in Iran's Pikaks mountain
The UN's atomic energy agency (IAEA) has reported that construction work is underway in Iran's Pikaks mountain. This area is considered a site where nuclear activity is conducted and is a highly secured territory.
According to the IAEA, no inspections have yet been carried out inside the tunnel complex. Nevertheless, remote imagery shows new movements in this area, located south of Tehran's main uranium enrichment plant.
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi spoke about this in an interview with Bloomberg on September 10. US President Donald Trump also drew public attention to this area at least twice over the past week.
"There are some signs indicating movement around this construction site. But we do not have precise information about what kind of activity is being carried out in the area," Grossi said.
Inspectors have been unable to check the status and location of Iran's uranium stockpiles since Israel and the US attacked Iran's major nuclear facilities in June 2025.
"We noticed some activity in Pikaks. I would advise Iran not to play games. Because we would have to hit them very hard," Trump said on September 9.
Activity in the Pikaks area, located in the Zagros Mountains 220 kilometers south of Tehran, began six years ago after saboteurs attacked Iran's centrifuge workshop.
"They said back then, 'We will put everything inside tunnels, into the mountain.' This place was supposed to be protected from attacks and impenetrable," Grossi said.
Israel and the US want Iran to terminate its centrifuge program and stop uranium enrichment. Centrifuges are fast-spinning machines that separate uranium isotopes and are crucial in producing nuclear fuel for electricity or weapons.
The condemnation resolution adopted against Iran by the UN on September 9 could open the possibility of new military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Trump has repeatedly stated that the reason for going to war with Iran is to prevent Tehran from creating nuclear weapons.
In a separate diplomatic note circulated this week, Iran warned Western countries not to turn the IAEA into a weapon of war.
"The aggression of the Israeli regime and the US against Iran occurred just hours after the document was adopted. This is clear evidence that these initiators have hidden agendas," Iran's ambassador to the IAEA wrote in an 11-page document.
He called on diplomats to condemn the illegal attacks.
Grossi said he is concerned that many countries are reconsidering the issue of possessing and using nuclear weapons.
"This situation is linked to the increase in wars in the world. The proliferation of nuclear weapons would be a very terrible situation," he said.
It is noted that Tehran is producing missiles using spare components and underground complexes. The head of the Pentagon had said that Iran's missile program was "destroyed" as a result of the attacks in February.