The confrontation between the US and Iran enters a new phase of tension, as Tehran warns of a potential resumption of American military operations, at a time when new reports by NBC News and Fox News direct attention toward two exceptionally sensitive installations linked to the Iranian nuclear program: the deeply buried underground complex at Pickaxe Mountain, near Natanz, and the Taleghan 2 facility within the Parchin military complex.
The Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the central operational command of the Iranian Armed Forces, announced on Sunday that it has obtained intelligence indicating that the United States has decided to resume hostile actions against Iran.
Tehran did not publicly present evidence confirming that Washington has finalized a definitive decision for a new strike.
Nonetheless, the warnings coincide with increased military activity and intense public debate inside the US regarding the upcoming moves of the American administration.
«If the US commits an error against the Islamic Republic of Iran, all of its bases and interests across the region will become targets of continuous, effective, and crushing strikes, without limits or other reservations», the Iranian military command stated.
NBC: Focus on Pickaxe Mountain
Distinct scrutiny centers on Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La, known in the West as Pickaxe Mountain, a deeply buried underground complex situated on the southern perimeter of the nuclear enrichment installations at Natanz.
Iranian media outlets, including Khabar Foori, cited NBC News asserting that this specific facility could serve as the «primary target» of the US in the event of a renewed strike campaign.
Coverage hosted on the NBC News network based on reporting by the Associated Press confirms that Pickaxe Mountain sits at the core of American threats.
The report highlights that Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to bomb the subterranean facility under construction.
The complex is adjacent to Natanz, which has already absorbed American strikes, and is regarded as one of the most heavily fortified nodes of the Iranian nuclear program.
The infrastructure is engineered deep inside the mountain, rendering its destruction exceedingly difficult via conventional aerial strikes.
Donald Trump has already publicly declared that the US is closely tracking activity in the area. On September 4, he stated that the United States «might hit Pickaxe very soon», while on September 10, he noted that «some activity» was detected at the installation, warning Tehran that any further move could trigger a massive American strike.
Fresh satellite imagery analysis also demonstrates that Iran has significantly accelerated construction workflows at Pickaxe Mountain throughout 2026. The CSIS (Center for Strategic and International Studies) identifies a transition from initial excavation toward interior installations and further hardening of surface infrastructure.
Concurrently, the ISIS (Institute for Science and International Security) detected earthen berm barriers along access roads leading to the western tunnel portals, alongside auxiliary reinforcements designed to complicate aerial attacks.
It has not been publicly verified what precisely resides inside the complex. Western and Israeli intelligence leaks have claimed that centrifuges or other nuclear materials may have been relocated there; however, independent analysts cannot verify the contents of the facilities solely through satellite imagery.
Fox News: Heavy activity at Taleghan 2
Simultaneously, Fox News aired a new report, laying the groundwork for an American strike, based on satellite imagery of the Taleghan 2 facility at the Parchin military complex, southeast of Tehran.
According to Fox News, satellite imagery from Vantor Technologies dated September 13 indicates that Iran is moving rapidly to reconstruct the facility. Dump trucks, bulldozers, cranes, and concrete-pouring machinery have been documented on site.
The report further notes that a large protective shroud has been positioned over a section of the damaged facility, obstructing direct visual inspection of the works by satellites or surveillance aircraft.
Particular importance is attached to the pouring of fresh concrete reinforcements. According to analysis cited by Fox News, these structural additions can deliver extra shielding against aerial strikes.
Fox News also broadcast footage on September 19 purportedly documenting renewed activity at an Iranian facility tied to the nuclear program, featuring statements from Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon, who stated that Israel is closely monitoring developments.
Taleghan 2 has historically been connected to the legacy Iranian AMAD Project, which Western agencies and analysts have linked to research concerning nuclear weapons design.
The existence of construction activity, however, does not by itself prove that Tehran is manufacturing a nuclear weapon or that operations of that nature are presently underway inside the installation.
Tehran hardens protection of nuclear sites
Fox News links developments at Taleghan 2 with parallel works at Pickaxe Mountain, noting that new satellite images indicate Tehran is reinforcing the entrances to underground tunnels near Natanz.
According to the report, earth overburden has been added over certain entrances, increasing the thickness of material that incoming munitions would have to penetrate during an aerial assault.
This reality has sparked discussion in the US regarding whether a narrowing operational «window» exists for an effective strike against the site.
Behnam Ben Taleblu, of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News that the more the complex is hardened, the more challenging a military operation against it becomes. This represents, nonetheless, an analyst's assessment rather than an official policy announcement or operational plan from the American administration.
Secret meeting with regional states
In this atmosphere, the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters claimed that the American decision to resume actions against Iran was finalized with the backing of certain regional states during a meeting held in a European nation.
The claim appears linked to reports concerning covert contacts among senior military commanders from the US, Israel, and Arab nations in Germany.
Iran warns that regional countries granting bases, airspace, infrastructure, or other logistics support for an attack against it will be considered by Tehran co-belligerents in the military operation.
«If regional countries align themselves with US aggression against Iran, they will be deemed accomplices and cannot expect restraint from the Iranian Armed Forces», the headquarters stated.
Trump's movements under scrutiny
Further speculation was fueled by reports in Iranian media that Donald Trump returned to the White House from Camp David earlier than anticipated and modified his schedule.
These developments were treated by regional press as a potential indicator of impending decisions regarding Iran or Yemen.
To date, however, there is no official confirmation that any scheduling adjustment for the American president is tied to an operational decision for military strikes.
What remains undisputed is that Donald Trump has repeatedly stated on the record that Pickaxe Mountain remains an active target should Washington judge that activities tied to the Iranian nuclear program are progressing there.
US mounts pressure, Yemen front remains open
Concurrently, the situation in Yemen remains exceedingly volatile, as the Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, continue to operate as a core pillar of the regional crisis.
American military deployments and heightened security advisories have triggered assessments that Washington may be weighing a fresh operation against Houthi strongholds.
However, elevated readiness postures are distinct from finalized operational launch orders. To date, no fresh large-scale American offensive in Yemen has been officially announced.
Diplomacy and military pressure advance in parallel
Despite the rhetoric, diplomatic pathways have not closed entirely.
Tehran continues laying out conditions for a new framework with Washington, while regional intermediaries attempt to preserve backchannel communication lines.
Speaker of the Iranian Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has stated that Iran must move in two tracks simultaneously: continuing to fight while concurrently negotiating.
Critical hours for the Middle East
The defining question for the coming hours and days is whether elevated military mobility and bellicose posturing will cross over into a renewed cycle of strikes, or whether they serve as leverage to extract political concessions.
In any event, developments at Pickaxe Mountain, Taleghan 2, Yemen, and the Strait of Hormuz now represent interconnected fronts of the same overarching regional crisis, with the danger of systemic escalation remaining acute.
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