New Satellite Imagery Shows Iran Hardening Pickaxe Mountain Nuclear Site Entrances as Trump Warns Against Further Activity

Satellite imagery collected September 11 shows earthen roadblocks still blocking ground access to the western tunnel portals at Pickaxe Mountain near Natanz, according to the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), which assesses the week-long restriction indicates the facility is not in normal operation but likely still holds valuable equipment or materials 1. The same imagery shows additional soil placed over one western portal and over a cluster of entrances built in 2007; ISIS says this increases overburden and hardens the entrances against aerial bombardment 1. President Trump told reporters last week he had noticed "a little activity at Pickaxe" and warned Iran not to "get cute," saying the U.S. would "hit them very hard" 23. ISIS separately reported that Vantor imagery from September 13 shows Iran erecting a tarp and adding concrete reinforcement at the rebuilt Taleghan 2 facility at Parchin, previously struck by Israel in October 2024 and March 2026 12. Russia and China vetoed a U.S.-drafted UN Security Council resolution on Thursday that would have extended the Panel of Experts monitoring Iran's sanctions through September 2027; the measure received 11 votes in favor, with Pakistan and Somalia abstaining 23.