In light of the growing hostilities between Israel and Iran, US President Donald Trump claims he is still considering options for military action.
Trump stated on Wednesday that Iran’s South Lawn would be “big” and that the next week will be “big”. He did, however, warn them when they reached out to him that “it’s very late to be talking.”
The US’s 30-pound (13, 000 kg) bunker buster bomb, which is thought to be the most powerful weapon ever built and carved deep into a mountain, is the only one that can demolish Tehran’s nuclear-armed Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant.
The only nation with these bombs, which B-2 bombers can deliver, is the United States. It would change a lot if it were deployed against Iran, moving away from intercepting missiles on Israel’s behalf and conducting active offensive strikes there.
Bunker bombs: what are they?
Bombs that can’t be used with conventional bombs generally serve as “bunker busters.”
The GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator is the US military’s most potent bunker buster. This precision-guided bomb is made of high-strength steel and can be penetrating up to 200 feet (61 meters) underground before exploding, weighing about 30 000 pounds (13.6 kg), including a 2, 700 kg (6, 000 kg) warhead.
The B-2 Spirit, a stealth bomber from the US, can carry two bunker buster bombs simultaneously, making it the only aircraft currently used to launch the GBU-57. Multiple bombs can be dropped simultaneously, either by the same aircraft or by several, allowing each strike to penetrate deeper, boosting the impact overall.
Israeli-made bunker busters, such as the GBU-28 and BLU-109, are typically dropped from fighter jets like the F-15. However, these weapons can’t penetrate deep enough to reach fortified sites like Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility because of their much shorter penetration range. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah reportedly perished in Beirut’s underground headquarters using several BLU-109 bombs in 2024.
How far away is Iran’s nuclear facility, Fordow?
To withstand air strikes and bunker buster attacks, Iran’s Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, which is located about 95 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of Tehran, is constructed underground, reportedly up to 80 to 90 meters (260 to 300 feet) underground.
The Fordow facility’s construction is thought to have started in 2006 or so, and it went into operation in 2009, the same year Iran acknowledged it.
Iran agreed to stop enriching Fordow and turn the site into a research center under the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, known as the JCPOA. Iran resumed uranium enrichment at the facility after the US withdrew from it in 2018. Iran has argued that its nuclear program is intended for civilian purposes.
Iranian and Russian surface-to-air missile systems reportedly defend Fordow, despite Israel’s ongoing strikes having already targeted those defenses.
The campaign is being portrayed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a mission to end Iran’s missile and nuclear arsenal, which they call an existential threat. Fordow is a significant target, according to officials.
Yechiel Leiter, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, said in an interview with Fox News, “This entire operation really has to be finished with the elimination of Fordow.”
Other nuclear facilities are the targets.
The above-ground portion of Iran’s largest nuclear site, Natanz, is thought to have been destroyed by Israel.
The resulting power loss may have also been harmful to the facility’s underground enrichment halls, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The extent of Natanz’s damage is apparent in both before and after satellite imagery.
The central Iranian Isfahan enrichment facility has also been damaged by Israeli attacks.
Potential chemical and nuclear contamination
The damaged Natanz site may lead to both radiological and chemical contamination, according to Rafael Grossi, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog, on Monday.
Grossi stated at a Vienna-based IAEA meeting that radiation levels are still acceptable when traveling through Iran’s nuclear sites Natanz and Isfahan, both of which were directly affected by Israeli bombings. He did point out that a radiological release is more likely as a result of the military’s continued escalation.
With a population of roughly 1.4 million and a significant religious and political center, Fordow is located about 32 kilometers (20 miles) south of the city of Qom, Iran’s seventh-largest city.
