IAEA Observes Construction Activity at Iran's Pickaxe Mountain Site

According to Jin10, the International Atomic Energy Agency said it has observed construction activity at Iran's Pickaxe Mountain site, a heavily fortified facility suspected of housing nuclear-related activity. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said the agency has not inspected the inside of the tunnel complex, while remote-sensing images show new developments at the facility south of Tehran's main uranium enrichment plant. Grossi said there are signs of activity around the construction site and that the agency has no specific information about what may be happening there. He made the remarks after the IAEA Board of Governors referred Iran's nuclear file to the U.N. Security Council over Tehran's failure to comply with requirements related to its atomic activities. Since Israel and the United States struck Iran's large nuclear facilities in June 2025, inspectors have been unable to verify the status or location of Iran's stockpile of near-weapons-grade uranium.