As Donald Trump is said to be considering US action on Iran, Washington possesses the only weapon thought to be capable of piercing an Iranian nuclear site deep underground. Israel has so far struck nuclear facilities at Natanz and Isfahan, but so far the heavily fortified Fordow remains unharmed, and it is widely believed only the US’ GBU-57F/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator, or “MOP”, bomb could destroy it.
Israeli forces began targeting Iran’s nuclear programme on Friday after launching Operation Rising Lion on Friday. Israel described the attacks as “pre-emptive”, justifying the strikes by claiming Tehran was close to acquiring atomic bombs. As both Israel and Iran continue to launch attacks, speculation is rising over whether the US could enter the conflict. On Truth Social, Mr Trump demanded Iran’s “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER” and claimed the US knows the location of Iran’s supreme leader but that American forces would not kill him “at least not for now”.
Mr Trump has also said he is “not too much in the mood to negotiate with Iran” amid reports he is growing increasingly warm to using the US military to strike Iranian nuclear facilities, according to CNN, citing officials.
The MOP is a huge 30,000lbs weapon, known as a “bunker buster”.
The precision-guided bomb is designed to penetrate heavily fortified targets buried deep beneath the ground, such as tunnels and bunkers — hence the name.
It can only be dropped by America’s B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, and it’s believed to have never been used in anger before. It’s reportedly been tested from B-52 bombers as well.
The 20-foot weapon is believed to be able to penetrate about 200 feet (61 metres) below the surface before exploding.
The bombs, which carry a conventional warhead, can also be dropped one after another, meaning damage can be dealt deeper and deeper.
“The Massive Ordnance Penetrator is a weapon system designed to accomplish a difficult, complicated mission of reaching and destroying our adversaries’ weapons of mass destruction located in well-protected facilities,” the US Air Force says on its website, adding that 20 of the weapons were contracted in 2009.
Israel claims to have aerial superiority over Iran and possesses advanced aircraft like the F-35.
It does have an arsenal of bunker busters, but none as powerful as the MOP, nor does it have the aircraft capable of launching it.
Fordow is a nuclear uranium facility built underneath a mountain.
It became operational in 2009 and is believed to be protected by between 260 and 300 feet of rock and soil, as well as surface-to-air missile systems; however, these could have already been struck by Israel in earlier strikes.
Fordow, about 60 miles south-west of Tehran, is Iran’s second nuclear enrichment facility after Natanz, which Israel has already damaged.
Iran has denied it is developing nuclear weapons, claiming its nuclear programme is peaceful.
The US Ambassador to Israel, Yechiel Leiter, previously told Fox News: “This entire operation … really has to be completed with the elimination of Fordow.”