Trump WARNS Iran Over Activity At Pickaxe Mountain — Now He’s Threatening To Hit It Hard...
TACTICAL ULTIMATUM: TRUMP WARNS IRAN OVER 'ACTIVITY' AT PICKAXE MOUNTAIN AS STRIKE THREAT RETURNS
President Donald Trump says the United States has detected 'a little activity' at Iran's deeply buried Pickaxe Mountain complex and warns Tehran it could be hit hard. Satellite analysis confirms a surge in construction and reinforcement at the site — but does not establish that centrifuges are operating there or that enriched uranium has been moved inside.
WASHINGTON, D.C. / TEHRAN • 10 SEPTEMBER 2026
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump has revived one of the most dangerous unresolved threats in the U.S.-Iran conflict: a possible strike on Pickaxe Mountain, the hardened underground complex beside the damaged Natanz nuclear site. Speaking at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas on September 9, Trump said the United States had noticed activity at the site and warned Iran not to test Washington's patience.
1. THE TRIGGER: TRUMP'S WARNING IS REAL
Trump's language was explicit. He said the United States had noticed 'a little activity' at Pickaxe and warned that Iran could be hit 'very hard' if it tried to exploit the site. The statement builds on threats he has made since at least mid-July, including a September 4 warning that the United States might strike the mountain 'very soon.'
Pickaxe Mountain — Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La — sits roughly two kilometres south of Natanz. The underground facility was not hit in the U.S.-Israeli attacks that damaged Natanz, leaving it as one of the most important surviving sites associated with Iran's nuclear infrastructure.
The facility contains deeply buried tunnel complexes inside a granite mountain. Open-source estimates place parts of it 80 to 100 metres underground, a depth that could challenge even the United States' heaviest conventional bunker-buster munitions.
2. THE CONFRONTATION: SATELLITES SHOW CONSTRUCTION, NOT A CONFIRMED ENRICHMENT PLANT
A new Center for Strategic and International Studies analysis published September 9 found more road and construction activity at Pickaxe Mountain in 2026 than at any point in the site's six-year history.
The imagery shows hardened portal approaches, paved internal roads, reinforced access areas and removal of excavation spoil — signals consistent with a transition from heavy digging toward probable internal construction and exterior fortification.
But CSIS drew a crucial line. It said the imagery can neither confirm nor refute Israeli intelligence claims that centrifuges or centrifuge parts were moved into the mountain. The analysts also said the absence of increased internal security and non-construction traffic suggests the facility is not yet capable of uranium enrichment, if enrichment is ultimately its purpose.
The IAEA has never gained access to the site, leaving its internal configuration and contents unverified.
3. WHY IT MATTERS: THE TARGET IS HARDER THAN THE RHETORIC
The strategic challenge is not simply whether Washington chooses to strike, but whether it can achieve a decisive result. Pickaxe is buried in dense granite, and analysts warn that even the 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator may not reliably destroy a facility at such depth.
An alternative would be to collapse tunnel entrances with cruise missiles, temporarily denying access rather than destroying the underground halls. That could delay activity while leaving much of the infrastructure intact.
The broader regional context makes any new attack more dangerous. Iran has warned in recent days that future strikes on its interests will draw faster and more painful retaliation, and the Revolutionary Guards have threatened disproportionate responses to attacks on Iranian targets.
Oil markets are already pricing the risk. Brent crude has held above $100 as attacks around the Strait of Hormuz intensify, turning the war into a growing domestic economic issue ahead of the November midterms.
4. THE REALITY CHECK
WHAT IS ESTABLISHED
Trump publicly warned Iran on September 9 after saying the United States had detected activity at Pickaxe Mountain. Satellite imagery independently shows an unusually high level of construction and hardening at the site, which remains uninspected by the IAEA.
WHAT IS NOT ESTABLISHED
There is no public confirmation that Iran has moved enriched uranium into Pickaxe Mountain, that centrifuges are currently operating there, or that Trump has issued a formal strike order. Iran's recent retaliation warnings are broad regional warnings, not a verified Pickaxe-specific threat against named U.S. bases.
5. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
The immediate question is whether observable activity at Pickaxe changes from construction to a pattern consistent with nuclear operations. That would require intelligence far more specific than road movement or portal reinforcement.
A U.S. strike would also force Washington to choose between temporary access denial and an attempt at deep structural destruction, each carrying different military and escalation risks.
For now, the threat is unmistakable but the evidence is narrower than the rhetoric: Pickaxe Mountain is active, heavily fortified and strategically important. What remains unproven is the most consequential claim of all — that Iran has already turned the mountain into an operational enrichment sanctuary.
APPOINTMENT SHOWDOWN: DOJ TAKES SIGAL CHATTAH FIGHT TO SUPREME COURT AFTER NINTH CIRCUIT RULES HER NEVADA TENURE UNLAWFUL
The Ninth Circuit has rejected the Trump administration's attempt to keep Sigal Chattah in charge of Nevada's U.S. Attorney's Office through a post-vacancy 'first assistant' designation. Now the Justice Department is asking the Supreme Court to reverse that ruling, warning that similar decisions could unsettle federal prosecutor offices across the country.
SAN FRANCISCO / LAS VEGAS / WASHINGTON • 10 SEPTEMBER 2026
WASHINGTON — A fight over who may lead a federal prosecutor's office without Senate confirmation has reached the Supreme Court. The Justice Department filed a petition on September 9 asking the justices to overturn an August 17 Ninth Circuit decision holding that Trump ally Sigal Chattah was not lawfully serving as Nevada's Acting U.S. Attorney.
1. THE TRIGGER: THE NINTH CIRCUIT REJECTS DOJ'S APPOINTMENT MANEUVER
The dispute began after Nevada U.S. Attorney Jason Frierson resigned on January 17, 2025. Under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sue Fahami automatically became acting head of the office.
Attorney General Pam Bondi later appointed Chattah interim U.S. Attorney under a separate statute, 28 U.S.C. §546, effective April 1. That appointment was limited to 120 days and would have expired July 30.
Two days before that deadline, Chattah resigned as interim U.S. Attorney. Bondi immediately designated her First Assistant U.S. Attorney and asserted that the new title allowed Chattah to become Acting U.S. Attorney under the vacancies law. Bondi also appointed her a special attorney and delegated broad prosecutorial authority.
The Ninth Circuit rejected both routes. It held that automatic succession under the FVRA applies only to a first assistant who held that position when the vacancy arose. It also ruled that the Attorney General cannot evade the statute by delegating all of a U.S. Attorney's functions to a single person.
2. THE REMEDY: DISQUALIFICATION, NOT AUTOMATIC COLLAPSE OF EVERY CASE
The practical effect is narrower than the most dramatic descriptions suggest. The appeals court affirmed an order disqualifying Chattah from supervising the prosecutions of defendants in three consolidated criminal cases.
The defendants also wanted their indictments dismissed. The district court refused, reasoning that the Assistant U.S. Attorneys handling the cases derived prosecutorial authority from the Attorney General rather than from Chattah alone.
The Ninth Circuit did not overturn that result. Instead, it dismissed the defendants' cross-appeals for lack of appellate jurisdiction, leaving the indictments intact for now.
That means the ruling creates serious uncertainty about Chattah's status and her ability to supervise affected cases, but it is not an automatic order invalidating every prosecution, warrant or charging decision made by the Nevada office.
3. THE SHOWDOWN: DOJ ASKS THE SUPREME COURT TO STEP IN
The newest development came September 9, when Solicitor General D. John Sauer filed a Supreme Court petition in United States v. Jackson, No. 26-304.
The government argues that the Ninth Circuit misread the Federal Vacancies Reform Act and improperly restricted the Attorney General's longstanding power to delegate authority while Senate-confirmed posts remain vacant.
Sauer warned that the decision could create 'mass confusion' across five U.S. Attorney's Offices in the Ninth Circuit handling more than 8,000 civil and criminal cases each year. Similar appointment rulings have already hit Trump-backed prosecutors in New Jersey and the Northern District of New York.
The broader fight reflects a recurring clash between presidential control of federal law enforcement and the Senate's advice-and-consent role. The administration has repeatedly faced resistance to nominees under the Senate's home-state 'blue slip' tradition, increasing pressure to rely on interim and acting appointments.
4. THE REALITY CHECK
WHAT IS ESTABLISHED
The Ninth Circuit ruled on August 17 that Chattah was not lawfully serving as Acting U.S. Attorney under the appointment structure DOJ used. It affirmed her disqualification from supervising three criminal prosecutions, and DOJ filed a Supreme Court petition on September 9 seeking reversal.
WHAT IS NOT ESTABLISHED
The Ninth Circuit did not order every Nevada federal prosecution dismissed, did not automatically invalidate all indictments issued during Chattah's tenure, and did not issue its ruling on September 10. The Supreme Court has not yet overturned the decision or granted DOJ relief.
5. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
The next question is whether the Supreme Court agrees to hear the dispute and whether it grants any interim relief while the petition is pending.
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A ruling for DOJ could restore broader executive flexibility in filling vacant U.S. Attorney posts. A ruling against the government could strengthen the statutory limits on acting appointments and accelerate challenges in other districts.
For Nevada, the immediate reality is simpler: Chattah's appointment strategy has been rejected by the Ninth Circuit, her authority in the litigated cases remains restricted, and the administration has moved the constitutional and statutory fight to the nation's highest court.
