US may have been preparing to strike secret Iranian facility – CNN

CNN reports that the US may have been preparing to strike a new underground Iranian facility, Pickaxe Mountain, near Natanz. In February, the Pentagon ordered urgent work at the White Sands range to test weapons against fortified targets. Satellites record record construction at the site, but there is no confirmation of centrifuge deployment.

CNN, citing US sources and documents, reports that the US may have been preparing to strike a new underground Iranian facility, Pickaxe Mountain, located near the nuclear complex in Natanz. In February, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency of the US Department of Defense ordered urgent work at the ALT-SHIST underground test facility at the White Sands range in New Mexico. There, weapons are being tested for striking fortified targets. The range has already been used to test GBU-57/B MOP bombs, which B-2s have used against Iranian facilities. However, Pickaxe Mountain may be more challenging—it is deep underground, surrounded by hard rock. Satellite imagery shows record levels of construction in 2026: reinforcement of entrances and development of a road network. At the same time, there is no reliable confirmation that centrifuges have been installed inside or that uranium enrichment is underway. Journalists were unable to determine whether the planned test took place.