Iran Prepares Public for Nuclear Threat Amid 'Mount of the Pickaxe' Tensions

Iran has recently issued unusual emergency directives to its public, with state-affiliated media distributing guides on how to prepare for a potential nuclear attack by the United States. These instructions, which include simple yet alarming advice like staying away from windows and seeking shelter in strong structures, are centered around a deeply buried facility known as "Mount of the Pickaxe" (Kuh-e Kolang). This site, located two kilometers south of the uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, is a system of tunnels excavated 100 to 145 meters deep into hard granite rock.

Western intelligence assessments suggest Iran has moved advanced centrifuges and uranium enriched to 60% to this secure location to protect its nuclear assets from previous attacks. Satellite imagery revealed by The Wall Street Journal shows massive earth berms around strategic sites, intended to thwart aerial assaults. Military experts believe conventional bunker-buster bombs, including the U.S. GBU-57, would struggle to destroy such a deeply fortified facility, though they might block entrances and ventilation systems.

This situation has fueled discussions in the West about more extreme options, including the use of the MOAB "mother of all bombs" or, in media speculation, a tactical nuclear weapon. Former President Donald Trump had previously threatened to attack the site "soon and heavily," stating the U.S. was monitoring all activity there and asserting Iran would never possess nuclear weapons, though he also publicly stated he did not intend to use nuclear weapons himself.

Currently, there is no verified intelligence indicating a U.S. decision to use nuclear weapons; such discussions stem primarily from military analyses and media speculation. Iran is leveraging this fear through psychological warfare, using the directives to signal to the world, particularly the U.S. public, that an attack on Mount of the Pickaxe could lead to nuclear escalation and regional catastrophe, essentially warning "do not approach."

Simultaneously, Iran understands that a heavy conventional strike is a real possibility. Distributing emergency guides enhances public preparedness and reinforces the narrative of a regime under existential threat. The Revolutionary Guards have openly warned that any attack on Mount of the Pickaxe or elsewhere in Iran will be met with a full response. The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. has conveyed to Gulf Arab states the need to prepare for a short, intense military campaign against Iran following the U.S. midterm elections, indicating growing signs that Washington and Jerusalem are preparing for further strikes.

Mount of the Pickaxe has become a symbol of the current stalemate. Iran continues to fortify the facility, while the U.S. signals it will not leave it unanswered. A thin line of tension exists between public threats and public directives, with each side attempting to deter the other without crossing a red line. While the nuclear directives are currently a psychological tool, Iran's need to prepare its citizens for such a scenario highlights the heightened and tangible tension surrounding Mount of the Pickaxe.