Recent satellite imagery analyzed by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) indicates a “clear uptick in construction activity” at a suspected underground facility in Iran. This analysis was shared exclusively with CNN before its public release.
Analysts at CSIS suggest that the site may serve as a “safe haven for Iran’s nuclear program”. Notable construction activity has been observed on Mount Pikax from September 30, 2025, to August 9, 2026.
Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump warned that the United States may strike the construction site “very soon”, asserting that Washington is aware of “everything that moves” at the location.
However, the CSIS analysis notes that the mountain presenting the construction site is a challenging target, even for the Pentagon’s most powerful non-nuclear bombs.
Context
- The active phase of conflict between Iran and the U.S. began on February 28 of this year, when U.S. and Israeli airstrikes targeted Iranian territory, resulting in the deaths of several high-ranking officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
- On April 12, Trump announced a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by U.S. naval forces. By May 28, a ceasefire agreement was reached between the U.S. and Iran, including a 60-day memorandum to initiate talks regarding Tehran’s nuclear program. On June 1, Trump stated that he had fulfilled Iran’s conditions for a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.
- On the night of June 18, the U.S. and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding aiming to end the war. The following day, CENTCOM confirmed the official lifting of the blockade on Iranian ports as outlined in the agreement. Nevertheless, hostilities resumed, leading Trump to announce the cessation of the ceasefire on July 8.
- Trump has emphasized that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons is a primary objective of the U.S.
