The material is expected to focus heavily on Pickaxe Mountain, an extensive underground tunnel complex built beneath Kolang Mountain near Iran’s principal Natanz nuclear facility.

By World Israel News Staff

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to present President Donald Trump with Israeli intelligence indicating that Iran has transferred thousands of uranium-enrichment centrifuges to a deeply buried facility near Natanz and is rebuilding military capabilities damaged in US strikes, according to reports published ahead of the leaders’ Tuesday meeting.

An Israeli source in Jerusalem told the New York Post that Netanyahu’s delegation would use the intelligence to argue that Tehran is negotiating in bad faith and has no genuine intention of abandoning its nuclear or missile programs.

The material is expected to focus heavily on Pickaxe Mountain, an extensive underground tunnel complex built beneath Kolang Mountain near Iran’s principal Natanz nuclear facility.

Israeli intelligence assesses that Iran moved thousands of centrifuges into the tunnels last fall, after Israeli and US strikes damaged the country’s three main nuclear facilities during the 12-day war in June 2025, the Wall Street Journal reported last week.

The US has reviewed the Israeli assessment, according to the report.

The transfer would give Iran the equipment needed to restore uranium enrichment at a location far more difficult to attack than its previously known facilities. Pickaxe Mountain is believed to extend more than 300 feet beneath the mountain, potentially placing parts of the complex beyond the reach of conventional aerial bombs.

The reported presence of centrifuges does not by itself establish that Iran is actively enriching uranium at the site. The intelligence assessment and the evidence Netanyahu reportedly plans to present have not been made public or independently verified.

The Israeli delegation is also expected to provide information indicating that Iran has begun rebuilding its ballistic-missile and drone programs after repeated US attacks damaged production facilities and launch infrastructure.

Israeli officials believe the activity contradicts Tehran’s declared willingness to pursue an agreement with Washington and demonstrates that Iran is using the current pause in fighting to preserve or restore its strategic capabilities.

Netanyahu placed Iran at the top of his agenda before departing Israel on Monday.

“We will discuss all the issues on the agenda, primarily Iran,” Netanyahu said. “Of course, our goal is to protect our security and also to expand the circle of peace around us.”

The meeting comes as Trump weighs whether to extend a temporary halt in US attacks or resume military operations if indirect negotiations with Iran fail.

Trump said Monday that the US was holding “good talks” with Iran and suggested that an agreement remained possible. He nevertheless warned that American strikes would restart if the diplomatic effort did not quickly produce results.

Iran has disputed Trump’s characterization of the contacts. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said intermediaries were passing messages between the two governments but denied that direct negotiations were underway.

The talks are reportedly focused in part on restoring commercial navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and establishing a more durable ceasefire after nearly two weeks of US bombing and Iranian attacks on American forces and regional targets.

Netanyahu is expected to press Trump to make the dismantling of Iran’s remaining enrichment infrastructure a requirement for any agreement.

In a Fox News interview before his trip, Netanyahu said Trump would ultimately determine the next stage of the US campaign.

“But one way or the other, they have to end their nuclear program,” Netanyahu said.

Trump has already threatened to attack Pickaxe Mountain. After reports of the Israeli intelligence assessment emerged last week, the president said the US could strike the facility “probably pretty soon.”

Trump had previously played down reports of nuclear activity at the mountain, saying Washington did not have confirmed information showing that centrifuges or enriched uranium had been placed there. The intelligence Netanyahu is expected to present could influence whether Trump accepts Israel’s assessment and authorizes further action.

The Pickaxe Mountain complex has been under construction since 2020, when Iran announced plans to replace a centrifuge-assembly facility damaged in an apparent sabotage operation at Natanz. Satellite images have since shown expanded tunnel entrances, reinforced defensive structures and increased security around the mountain.

Iran maintains that its nuclear program is intended solely for peaceful purposes and denies seeking an atomic weapon. Israel argues that Iran’s advanced enrichment capabilities, restrictions on international inspections and construction of deeply buried facilities cannot be explained by a civilian energy program alone.

The meeting also comes amid signs of tactical differences between Trump and Netanyahu over the war’s next phase.

Asked Monday whether the two leaders were aligned on Iran, Trump replied: “We have a little difference. But pretty close, yeah.”

Netanyahu is seeking continued pressure until Iran’s enrichment capacity, ballistic-missile production and ability to support regional proxy forces have been eliminated or placed under strict restrictions. Trump has maintained the threat of renewed military action while exploring whether diplomacy can end the fighting and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Netanyahu is also expected to brief Trump on ceasefire arrangements in Gaza and Lebanon, where Israel continues to face Hamas and Hezbollah, both of which have received extensive Iranian support.

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Israeli intelligence believes Iran relocated parts of its nuclear program to the Pickaxe Mountain facility following last year’s conflict.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States could strike Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain facility “pretty soon” after an Israeli report said the underground site was being used to house centrifuges linked to Tehran’s nuclear program.

Speaking during a White House meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Trump dismissed the significance of the site unless it contained nuclear material.

“It doesn’t mean anything unless they have the material. They don’t have — we follow the material, that’s where the action is,” the president said.

“We’ll be hitting that area very, probably pretty soon. And there’s not a thing they can do about it. You know, normally I wouldn’t say that. If I thought they could do something about it, I would never say that. But we’ll be hitting that area pretty soon, and very heavily,” Trump continued.

Trump made a similar comment last week during an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, saying the United States would “probably give Pickaxe a shot relatively soon.”

The facility is located about a mile south of Natanz in central Iran and was declared to the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency in 2020 as a future site for assembling centrifuges used to produce nuclear fuel.

Israeli intelligence believes Iran relocated parts of its nuclear program to the Pickaxe Mountain facility following last year’s conflict, as US and Iranian forces continue to exchange strikes.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Israeli intelligence concluded Iran transferred centrifuges to the Pickaxe Mountain, or Mount Kolang Gaz La, facility last fall after the 12-day war in June, during which US and Israeli strikes targeted Iran’s three main nuclear sites.

The underground complex lies about 220 kilometers south of Tehran and roughly 2 kilometers from the Natanz nuclear complex. The facility is built approximately 90 to 137 meters (300 to 450 feet) beneath solid rock. US and Israeli intelligence agencies have observed sustained truck traffic, tunnel reinforcement work and expanded security around the site.

It remains unclear whether Iran has established a fully operational uranium enrichment facility inside the mountain. Experts believe the complex could instead be used to store equipment that survived previous strikes or to covertly pursue weapons-grade nuclear material.

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Israeli intelligence says Iran has moved thousands of uranium centrifuges into deeply buried mountain complex.

By World Israel News Staff

Israeli intelligence agencies believe Iran transferred thousands of uranium-enrichment centrifuges into a heavily fortified tunnel complex near Natanz following last year’s war, according to a report published Monday by the Wall Street Journal.

The assessment, which Israel has shared with the United States, centers on Mount Kolang Gaz La, commonly called Pickaxe Mountain, roughly two kilometers south of Iran’s Natanz nuclear complex.

Israeli and American officials cited in the report said the centrifuges were moved into the mountain during the fall of 2025, after Israeli and US strikes caused extensive damage to Iran’s principal enrichment and centrifuge-production sites during the 12-day war that June.

The intelligence does not establish that Iran is currently enriching uranium inside the tunnels. The centrifuges could have been placed there for storage, protection or future installation. However, Israeli officials reportedly fear the equipment could allow Tehran to secretly restore part of its enrichment program in a facility that would be extremely difficult to destroy from the air.

An Israeli military official familiar with the campaign said the previous attacks had not dealt sufficiently with all facilities connected to Iran’s potential nuclear-weapons program, adding that “there is more work to do.”

The report comes one week after President Donald Trump publicly threatened to attack Pickaxe Mountain.

“We’re going to take out Pickaxe Mountain. Tell the Iranians to be ready,” Trump told radio host Hugh Hewitt on July 13.

During the same interview, Trump said the site was being closely watched and claimed the United States had not detected activity there. He nevertheless said Pickaxe Mountain was on a list of possible targets and could be struck “relatively soon.”

Construction at Pickaxe Mountain began after an explosion destroyed an above-ground centrifuge assembly facility at Natanz in July 2020. Iran blamed the incident on sabotage and announced that the damaged plant would be replaced by a larger and more secure complex inside the nearby mountain.

Ali Akbar Salehi, then the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, said in September 2020 that Iran was building a larger hall deep inside the mountain for the production of advanced centrifuges.

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi later described the development as part of Iran’s “systematic intention to put their most sensitive facilities underground.”

Satellite imagery indicates that the site consists of two sets of tunnel entrances leading into a large underground complex. Estimates place portions of the facility between approximately 90 and 137 meters beneath solid rock, potentially deeper than the Fordow enrichment plant struck by the United States in 2025.

The depth presents a major challenge even for the most powerful American bunker-busting weapons. Analysts have suggested that an attack might instead target entrances, ventilation systems and power connections, or involve sabotage or a ground operation.

Recent satellite images reviewed by the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security showed continued construction, reinforced entrances, additional security infrastructure and vehicle movements around the complex.

The institute reported in June that Pickaxe Mountain did not appear ready to operate and was not believed to contain enriched uranium. A later assessment said construction was continuing and that the western tunnel entrances remained open.

David Albright, president of the institute, told the Wall Street Journal that the reported transfer of centrifuges into the tunnels was plausible. The size of the complex, analysts say, would permit several possible nuclear-related uses, including centrifuge assembly, equipment storage or a smaller clandestine enrichment plant.

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President Trump announces plans to bomb underground Iranian nuclear facility at Pickaxe Mountain while touting strong relationship with Israel’s prime minister.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

President Donald Trump said Monday that American forces would target Iran’s deeply buried Pickaxe Mountain complex and carry out another round of heavy strikes against the country, while defending his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“We’re going to take out Pickaxe Mountain. Tell the Iranians to be ready,” Trump said during an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.

Also known as Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La, Pickaxe Mountain is a heavily fortified underground complex near Iran’s damaged Natanz uranium-enrichment facility. The site contains two tunnel systems built deep beneath the mountain and was not among the three Iranian nuclear facilities struck by US B-2 bombers last year.

Trump said US surveillance had not detected renewed nuclear activity at the complex but indicated that it remained on Washington’s target list.

“We’re watching Pickaxe Mountain closely. We see no activity there. They’re not doing well with their nuclear situation. Every time we hear about it, we blow it up. So they don’t like talking about it. But we’ll probably give Pickaxe a shot relatively soon,” he said.

Trump also promised immediate additional attacks as US and Iranian forces exchanged strikes following the collapse of a fragile ceasefire arrangement.

“We’re going to hit them very hard tonight and we’re going to hit them hard tomorrow. And there’s not a damn thing they can do about it,” Trump said.

US Central Command subsequently said American forces had completed another wave of attacks against Iranian coastal defense systems, missile and drone installations and maritime capabilities. The operation marked the third consecutive night of renewed US strikes against Iran.

The escalation followed disputes over a memorandum of understanding intended to reduce hostilities and create a framework for a broader US-Iranian agreement. Iran and the United States have accused one another of violating the arrangement, particularly over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Israeli officials and commentators have expressed concern that the memorandum could restrict Israel’s freedom to act against Iran or leave parts of Tehran’s nuclear infrastructure intact.

Asked whether the agreement had damaged his relationship with Netanyahu, Trump rejected the suggestion.

“No, not at all. I get along with him very well. Sometimes I disagree with him, and I let it be known, and I’ve been right. But, no, I think he’s good. Look, he is a wartime prime minister. He has done a good job,” Trump said.

Trump argued that his partnership with Netanyahu had been essential to Israel’s survival, particularly because of the joint American-Israeli campaign against Iran.

“If I wasn’t around, or if Bibi wasn’t around, and especially the combination, Israel would not exist today,” he said.

“We wouldn’t have hit them with the B-2 bombers. You know, they were going to have a nuclear weapon within two weeks — had I not hit them… within two to four weeks they would have had a nuclear weapon. And once they had a nuclear weapon, they would have used it. And you wouldn’t even have Israel around. No, Bibi is good.”

Asked whether another Israeli political figure might be better suited than Netanyahu to lead the country, Trump said he was unfamiliar with many of the prime minister’s potential rivals.

“I don’t know most of them, I know some of them, obviously, but I don’t know most of them,” he said.

Trump nevertheless emphasized the importance of strong Israeli leadership during the continuing regional conflicts.

“If we had somebody weak over there, Israel would not exist today,” he said.

Hewitt also asked whether Israel should resume or intensify operations to eliminate Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Trump did not directly endorse new Israeli offensives. Instead, he said progress had been made toward disarming Hamas, while acknowledging that the terrorist organization might not ultimately comply.

“A lot of progress was made with Hamas, and they are disarming. That doesn’t mean they are going to. But a lot of progress was made. And don’t forget, I got all the hostages back,” Trump said.

His comments came as the United States intensified military pressure on Iran following renewed attacks on commercial shipping and American targets in the region.

Trump separately announced that Washington was reinstating its blockade of Iranian shipping and would seek to guarantee passage through the Strait of Hormuz. The strategic waterway carries a major share of the world’s oil and natural gas shipments.

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