What Is Iran Building Now in the Zagros Mountains?

The one thing we can always trust about Iran is that we can't trust Iran. Any agreement they make, they won't keep. Any promise they make, they will break. Any time they claim they are telling the truth, they are lying. These are constants.

So, when satellite photos reveal some new and suspicious construction deep in the rugged Zagros Mountains, it raises some questions.

One of the leading American institutes devoted to research on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program sounded the alarm this week over the regime's uninspected underground site in the Zagros Mountains. Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have not been allowed to visit the secret site, known as Pickaxe Mountain.
The highly fortified facility is casting serious doubt on Iran’s willingness to abide by the terms of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) reached with the Trump administration. The United States, together with Israel, launched Operation Epic Fury on February 28, 2026, targeting Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities.
Experts from the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) argue that halting work at Pickaxe Mountain and allowing IAEA inspectors access would be a key good-faith measure to test whether Iran is prepared to abandon its pattern of deception.

The converse is also true: If Iran refuses to halt work at Pickaxe Mountain and also refuses to let IAEA inspectors visit the site, then they are up to no good. That much is certain.

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This report summarizes all the activity going on:

Recent satellite imagery from late June 2026, of the Natanz Nuclear Complex and the nearby Pickaxe Mountain facility, Fordow, and Esfahan, were provided to the Institute by @vantortech.

At Natanz, little activity can be seen. The access points to the below ground enrichment… pic.twitter.com/on6isIGhNA
— Inst for Science (@TheGoodISIS) July 2, 2026

On the Pickaxe Mountain site:

At Pickaxe Mountain, vehicle activity can be seen on the roads leading to the open set of Western tunnel portals, indicating that construction inside the tunnel complex, as well hardening of the tunnel entrance, are ongoing. The MOU signed between the United States and Iran requires that Iran maintain the status quo which should prohibit construction at any nuclear related facility, including Pickaxe Mountain. As first reported by the Institute in early May (see: https://x.com/TheGoodISIS/status/2052111114259911117?s=20 ), the Eastern set of tunnel portals remain partially backfilled with dirt, making them inaccessible to ground vehicles. This was likely done to prevent rapid ingress and egress to the tunnel entrances.

This could be a last-ditch getaway for Iran's leadership, or what's left of it. Or it could be Iran, trying to restart their nuclear weapons program.

There are also what appear to be defensive installations.

IRAN NUCLEAR UPDATE: Possible NEW Passive Defensive Measures Noted at Pickaxe Mountain

Based upon newly available satellite imagery of the Pickaxe Mountain underground complex, just south of the Natanz Nuclear Complex, it appears that as early as April 22nd, the two eastern… pic.twitter.com/KGAhBkLks8
— Inst for Science (@TheGoodISIS) May 6, 2026

Note that this is near one of Iran's known nuclear facilities.

What does all this mean? Well, once again, bear in mind, we can't trust the Iranian regime. In fact, things in that regard may even be worse than before Operation Epic Fury, as what's left of Iran's leadership is scurrying about like a bunch of hydrophobic rats, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) appears to have taken control of what's left of the military. Desperate men are not known for being rational, and if there is enough nuclear capability left to resume this work that they keep insisting they are ceasing, then they may see that as a way out.

Here's the thing, and I've been saying and writing this for years: If Iran manages to assemble a nuclear weapon, they will use it. They may use it on Tel Aviv, or Haifa, or they may use it on New York - but they'll use it.

Unless Iran is willing to come clean on what's going on at Pickaxe Mountain, this looks like one more for the target list.

Editor's Note: For decades, former presidents have been all talk and no action. Now, Donald Trump is eliminating the threat from Iran once and for all.

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