Iran Develops Deep Underground Facility as Next Phase of Nuclear Program
Iran has secretly developed a highly fortified underground nuclear facility known as Mount Makuh, located about two kilometers south of the Natanz enrichment site. This complex, carved 80 to 140 meters deep into a mountain ridge, is considered by intelligence analysts to be the most strategically important asset in Iran's nuclear program. Unlike the well-known Fordow and Natanz sites, Mount Makuh features extensive tunnels, underground halls, and multiple entrances, making it far more protected, complex, and larger than previous facilities.
Construction began in 2007 with tunnel excavation, and by 2011 significant progress was documented. Ahead of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections in 2015, Iran sealed the tunnels to conceal ongoing work. After the U.S. withdrew from the nuclear deal and Israel exposed Iran's nuclear archive in 2018, Iran reopened and resumed work in 2019. A turning point came in 2020 following a sabotage attack on Natanz centrifuge assembly attributed to Israel, prompting Iran to deepen and expand its underground facilities.
Since 2022, Iran has been expanding Mount Makuh with two new entrances and operates two separate projects within the site. Despite the facility's long development, Iran has never declared it to the IAEA, and inspectors have not been allowed access. Reports indicate that thousands of centrifuges and possibly enriched uranium stockpiles have been moved there, suggesting the site is an active enrichment and storage center.
Mount Makuh is viewed as the next generation of Iran's nuclear "safe house," designed to be much harder to destroy than Fordow. Intelligence assessments suggest the site may support uranium enrichment and other nuclear activities. Key questions remain about the facility's full purpose, the extent of Iran's nuclear material stored there, and the timeline of its secret development. The emergence of Mount Makuh shifts the focus of global intelligence and complicates potential military or diplomatic efforts to counter Iran's nuclear ambitions.
