Skip to the story
All StoriesPoliticsConflict & SecurityBusiness & EconomyScience & TechHealthClimateMedia
All stories
Conflict & Security24 outlets ran this3 min read

Iran adds earth barriers to Pickaxe Mountain as Trump warns Tehran

Satellite images from 11 September show new defenses, Russia and China vetoed a U.N. resolution, and the U.S. president threatened to take out the site.

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published
Iran adds new defenses at deeply buried nuclear site

What this story says

  • Iran added earthen barriers to tunnel entrances at Pickaxe Mountain, as shown by 11 September satellite images.
  • The Institute for Science and International Security says the new earth increases protection against aerial bombardment.
  • Russia and China vetoed a U.S., drafted U.N. Security Council resolution to extend sanctions monitoring on Thursday.
  • President Donald Trump warned Iran not to “get cute” and said the United States could “take out Pickaxe” if diplomacy failed.

Who covered it

Left 0%(0)Centre 14%(2)Right 86%(12)

Percentages are shares of the 14 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 10 of the 24 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

86/100

Craft

87/100

Hype

30/100

24 sources · methodology

Missing from the left

None of the 14 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.

A reader who follows the left would not have seen this. We report the absence rather than explain it: outlets choose what to cover for many reasons, and we have no evidence about which one applies here.

Satellite imagery captured on 11 September shows Iran placing additional earth over the western tunnel portals of Pickaxe Mountain, a heavily buried facility near Natanz linked to its nuclear programme. The Institute for Science and International Security reported that the earthen barriers block road access and add a layer of protection that could make the entrances more resistant to air strikes.

Analysts estimate that parts of the underground complex lie at least 100 metres below the mountain and are situated roughly two kilometres from Natanz. The same institute noted fresh soil piled over one western entrance and over a cluster of portals originally built in 2007, indicating ongoing reinforcement work.

On the same day, Russia and China vetoed a U.S., drafted United Nations Security Council resolution that sought to extend the mandate of the Panel of Experts monitoring sanctions on Tehran. The vote received 11 affirmative votes, with Pakistan and Somalia abstaining.

President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters, warned Iran not to “get cute” and said the United States could “take out Pickaxe” if diplomatic efforts failed, reiterating a threat first made in a July interview on “Fox & Friends.”

Site name used in reports

Internewscast refers to the facility as Pickaxe Mountain, while several right‑rated digests (Interfax, EADaily, wfmd, VINnews, Fox News) describe it as Mount Picucks. Both names denote the same underground complex near Natanz.

““We notice there’s a little activity at Pickaxe,” Trump told reporters last week. “I would advise Iran not to get cute because we will have to hit them very hard.””

— Donald Trump, former U.S. president

100 m

Estimated minimum depth of underground sections

Analysts say parts of the complex may be at least this deep

What the coverage left out

None of the right‑rated digests mention the Institute’s comment that Iran also installed new concrete reinforcement at the site, a detail that appears only in the centre‑rated Internewscast report.

Tags:#Iran#PickaxeMountain#SatelliteImagery#UNSecurityCouncil#Trump#RussiaChina

Coverage settled. We checked this 28 times and stopped on 23 Sept 2026, 10:30. The figures above are what it finished at.

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

0 rated outlets

No outlet rated left ran this story. We watched the coverage until it stopped changing, and none appeared.

Centre

2 rated outlets

  • Internewscast led on the satellite evidence of new earthen barriers and highlighted the Institute for Science and International Security’s assessment that the added earth improves protection against aerial bombardment. The report linked the imagery to the recent U.S.‑drafted UN resolution veto by Russia and China and quoted President Trump’s warning that the United States could “take out Pickaxe” if diplomacy failed.

Right

12 rated outlets

  • The New York Post’s full article echoed the satellite findings, noting the same earthen roadblocks and added soil, and stressed the Institute’s view that the barriers harden the entrances against air strikes. It also foregrounded Trump’s warning and the Russian‑Chinese veto of the U.N. resolution. The six right‑rated digests (New York Post, VINnews, wfmd, Interfax, EADaily, Fox News) each reported the new defenses, the Institute’s analysis, the veto, and Trump’s statement, but did not provide additional wording beyond the New York Post’s text.

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover Iran adds earth barriers to Pickaxe Mountain as Trump warns Tehran?
Of the 14 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 0% are rated left, 14% are rated centre, 86% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 24. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is Iran adds earth barriers to Pickaxe Mountain as Trump warns Tehran left or right?
The story itself is neither. What can be counted is who has covered it, and 86% of the 14 rated outlets on it are rated right — so far this is a story carried mostly by the right. Coverage of this one has settled, so that is unlikely to move much now.
Is the coverage of Iran adds earth barriers to Pickaxe Mountain as Trump warns Tehran biased?
Iran adds earth barriers to Pickaxe Mountain as Trump warns Tehran is one event reported by 24 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which side is not reporting Iran adds earth barriers to Pickaxe Mountain as Trump warns Tehran?
When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
Which outlets covered Iran adds earth barriers to Pickaxe Mountain as Trump warns Tehran?
24 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
What new defenses did Iran add to the site?
Iran placed additional earthen barriers over the western tunnel entrances of Pickaxe Mountain, and added soil over a cluster of portals built in 2007, according to satellite imagery released on 11 September and reported by the Institute for Science and International Security.
How did the United Nations respond to the U.S. proposal?
Russia and China vetoed a U.S., drafted Security Council resolution that would have extended the mandate of the sanctions‑monitoring Panel of Experts, while 11 members voted in favour and Pakistan and Somalia abstained.
What did President Trump say about the site?
President Donald Trump warned Iran not to “get cute” and said the United States could “take out Pickaxe” if diplomatic efforts failed, reiterating a threat made in a July interview on “Fox & Friends.”
How deep is the underground complex believed to be?
Analysts estimate that sections of the underground complex may lie at least 100 metres below the mountain, based on the Institute for Science and International Security’s assessment of the site’s construction.

Read it at the source

24 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

0

No outlet in this group ran the story.

Centre

2

Right

12
Show 4 more

Not rated

10
Show 2 more

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

More in Conflict & Security

All Conflict & Security →
US President Donald Trump speaks to journalists as he arrives for a Halloween party at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, Oct. 31. AFP-Yonhap3 min readTrump says US must target one or two sites in IranRead storyUS President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reviewed the evolving situation with Iran4 min readTrump and Netanyahu Discuss Iran as US Weighs StrikesRead storyIranian army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said the flames of war will undoubtedly engulf a much wider area if there is any new attack by US3 min readIran warns US attacks would widen warRead story
Iran Reinforces Pickaxe Mountain | MediaBias News