Satellite images from Vantor show tunnel construction activity and large waste piles near the Natanz nuclear facility on Mount Pickaxe.
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US President Donald Trump has called on Iran to “stop coddling” Iran over its activities at a suspected nuclear facility on Mount Pickaxe, following a barrage of attacks on oil tankers between the two countries in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
“I’ve noticed a little bit of movement with the pickaxe, and I would advise Iran not to get too cozy with it, because we’re going to have to hit Iran very hard,” President Trump said at the Republican midterm convention on Wednesday.
Mount Pickaxe, located near Iran’s badly damaged Natantouran enrichment facility, is considered one of the last remaining vestiges of Tehran’s nuclear program.
The US president has previously threatened to attack the underground tunnel complex, known in Farsi as Khue Qoran Ghazla, amid concerns that Iran could rebuild its nuclear program.
An analysis of satellite imagery by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) released Wednesday showed there was more road activity at Mount Pickel in 2026 “than at any point in the history of this location” and a “clear spike” in construction activity.
The latest data shows activity at the site is “moving from active excavation to likely internal construction and continued external reinforcement,” CSIS said.
The think tank said it could not substantiate or refute claims that Iran moved uranium centrifuges to Mount Pickaxe, calling the activity just 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from the old Natanz uranium facility “suspicious.”
Iran has repeatedly denied developing nuclear weapons.
A spokesperson for the Iranian embassy in London did not respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
The U.S. military attacked three Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025, including Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan, which U.S. officials said at the time significantly set back Iran’s prospects for building nuclear weapons.
President Trump: ‘Iran war won’t end until after midterm elections’
Iran said Wednesday it fired ballistic missiles at a U.S. military base in Jordan and attacked 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway that normally handles about 20% of the world’s oil shipments.
Earlier this week, U.S. Central Command announced that five Iranian oil tankers had been destroyed in retaliation for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeting U.S. Navy warships with ballistic missiles twice in two days.
Energy market participants are wary of further supply disruptions following attacks on oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz and escalating fighting in Yemen against the Saudi-Iranian-backed Houthis.
international benchmark brent crude oil On Thursday morning, futures for November delivery were trading 0.8% lower at $100.40 a barrel. west texas intermediate Crude oil futures were last down 0.6% at $95.51.
President Trump told reporters Wednesday that he doesn’t think the war between the United States and Iran will end until after the November midterm elections. “I think the war will end soon after the election because it can’t last much longer,” Trump said.
The US president later added that it was worth inflicting some short-term economic pain on US consumers to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
