@allynmortilla

Could it be attacked by the US and Israel? One nonproliferation expert, Andrea Stricker, told CNN that Trump should act to disable Pickaxe Mountain to prevent Iran from “reconstituting an enrichment or nuclear weapons option, and having access to thousands of centrifuges that represent the remnants of its nuclear program.” While a ground operation would be complex, the ISIS report pointed out several possible avenues for attack. The secretive facility would need ventilation, heating, cooling, deliveries, power supply, and personnel – which all present “vulnerabilities that the U.S. and Israel would seem to be able to exploit,” it said. Strikes, though, may not have the desired impact because the core part of the facility is likely deeply buried. James Acton, who co-leads the Carnegie Endowment’s nuclear policy work, posted on X that he doubts the US can do much more than collapse access tunnels at the Pickaxe Mountain facility. “That isn’t a game changer,” Acton said.

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