US and Israel Weigh Complex Strike on Iran’s Hardened ‘Hammer Mountain’ Nuclear Site

Experts and leaders including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former US President Donald Trump are increasingly concerned that Iran might enrich its existing 60% enriched uranium stockpile to weapons-grade 90% using a limited number of intact centrifuges. Such a move would provide Iran with fissile material sufficient for more than one nuclear bomb, significantly shortening the path to a nuclear weapon. Additionally, highly enriched uranium could be used for a “dirty bomb,” dispersing radioactive material over a wide area.

Attention has focused on a new underground tunnel and production complex called “Hammer Mountain” (Persian name Koh-e-Akhlang), located about 1.5 kilometers south of Iran’s Natanz nuclear enrichment site. Excavated since 2020 in hard granite rock at depths of 100-135 meters, the facility is nearly impervious to airstrikes, resembling the fortified Fordow site. The exact purpose of Hammer Mountain remains unclear: it may be intended for enrichment activities or for assembling nuclear weapons, but so far it appears to be used primarily for storing centrifuges and equipment moved covertly from Natanz and other bombed sites.

The site was not targeted during Israel’s “Lion’s Roar” and the US “Wrath of God” operations from February to April 2026, likely because it was not yet operational and because striking it would require a massive US-led air campaign using B-2 stealth bombers armed with GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs. Such an operation would be logistically complex, costly, and require precise intelligence on the location of centrifuges and production halls to ensure effective damage.

The US and Israel are currently weighing the cost-benefit of such an attack. Four conditions must be met before a strike: confirmed intelligence that 60% enriched uranium and operational centrifuges are installed, precise targeting data, replenishment of the US’s limited stock of heavy bunker-busters, and completion of detailed operational planning. Satellite images show Iran is reinforcing tunnel entrances to withstand bombing and potentially deny ground access, complicating any future ground operation to destroy or seize materials.

Former President Trump recently revealed in a podcast interview that the US is planning to strike Hammer Mountain, making public a previously secret intention. However, no confirmed evidence yet shows that Iran has fully operational centrifuges at the site. The timing of any strike will be critical to prevent Iran from producing fissile material while avoiding premature action that would fail to delay Iran’s nuclear progress.

Summary: Israel and the US are closely monitoring Iran’s fortified underground nuclear site known as Hammer Mountain, which currently stores centrifuges but is not yet operational. A potential US-led strike would be complex, requiring precise intelligence, heavy bunker-buster bombs, and careful timing to prevent Iran from advancing its nuclear weapons program.

Points: - Iran may enrich uranium to weapons-grade 90%, enabling nuclear bomb production. - Hammer Mountain is a deep, fortified underground site near Natanz used for storing centrifuges. - The site was not attacked in recent Israeli-US operations due to its current non-operational status and strike complexity. - A US strike would require precise intelligence, heavy bunker-busters, and extensive planning. - Iran is reinforcing tunnel entrances to resist bombing and block ground access. - Former President Trump confirmed US plans to attack Hammer Mountain publicly.

Topic: security israel_relevant: true Entities: {"people":["Benjamin Netanyahu","Donald Trump"],"organizations":["Israel Defense Forces","US Air Force"],"places":["Hammer Mountain","Natanz","Fordow","Iran","Missouri","Guam"]}