Israeli Intelligence Reports Iran Moved Thousands of Centrifuges to Deep Underground Facility at Mount Makuh

Israeli intelligence estimates that Iran transferred thousands of uranium enrichment centrifuges to a deep underground facility inside Mount Makuh during last fall. This assessment was reported by The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday night, citing Israeli and American sources. The transfer reportedly followed the June 2025 conflict, during which Israeli and American airstrikes targeted Iran's three main nuclear sites. A senior Israeli military official involved in the strikes expressed concern that the air campaign did not sufficiently target nuclear weapons-related facilities, including those at Mount Makuh, stating "there is more work to be done."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly urged then-US President Donald Trump to resume extensive strikes on Iran to delay Tehran's nuclear program and recovery efforts. In the past ten days, the US has intensified its attacks, with Trump publicly acknowledging Washington's readiness to strike Mount Makuh, located about 1.5 kilometers south of Natanz. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and the International Atomic Energy Agency did not respond to requests for comment. The White House referred to interviews Trump gave last week, where he described Mount Makuh as a "possible target for a big, fat attack," marking the first explicit mention of the site as a potential strike location after previously acknowledging the existence of an underground granite-cut Iranian facility.