Iran Reportedly Hands Out Iodine Pills as Fears Grow Over a U.S. Strike on Pickaxe Mountain
Iran is distributing iodine tablets to communities near nuclear facilities as fears mount over a possible American attack on Pickaxe Mountain, the fortified underground complex President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to strike, according to The Times of London.
The distribution is accompanied by nuclear survival instructions, bringing emergency preparations into civilian communities as Washington weighs further military action. However, the precautions do not establish that a nuclear attack is imminent or that the United States has approved one.
An Iranian medical official confirmed the iodine distribution to The Times, describing it as a precaution used during wartime for people living within approximately two to three kilometers, or 1.2 to 1.9 miles, of nuclear facilities.
The account suggests the measure follows an existing emergency practice. The report does not establish how many tablets have been distributed, how many residents have received them, or whether the current effort is larger than previous distributions.
Potassium iodide, commonly called KI, contains stable iodine that can help prevent the thyroid gland from absorbing radioactive iodine released during certain nuclear emergencies.
However, the tablets do not shield people from a nuclear explosion’s blast or heat, protect the entire body from radiation, or prevent exposure to every radioactive substance. Their distribution also does not establish what radioactive materials might be present at Pickaxe Mountain.
Abbas Abedi, a spokesperson for Isfahan’s pre-hospital emergency services, explained to Iran’s state news agency IRNA that “Stable iodine can, under certain conditions, reduce the absorption of radioactive iodine by the thyroid gland, but it does not provide protection against other radioactive materials or radiation resulting from an explosion.”
The warnings are part of a broader public preparedness campaign. IRNA published an eight-minute educational video on October 29 explaining how civilians should respond to a hypothetical nuclear explosion.
Prepared by emergency services in Isfahan province, the video advises residents to enter sturdy buildings, stay away from windows, and shut ventilation systems that pull in outside air.
The guidance also recommends keeping battery-powered radios available to receive official instructions if communications are disrupted. It was released during Iran’s annual Passive Defence Week, which focuses on preparing the public for emergencies.
Attention has centered on Pickaxe Mountain because of its proximity to Natanz and its potential role in Iran’s nuclear program. Construction began in 2020 after sabotage damaged a centrifuge workshop at Natanz.
Trump has repeatedly threatened the complex while saying conventional military force would be sufficient. “I wouldn’t use nuclear. We don’t have to,” he said in an October interview with Newsmax.
