The US could strike Iran with a unique bomb that no one else in the world has, writes Meduza. The superbomb was created specifically to destroy bunkers, and in Iran its target will be the underground fortress of Fordo.
The GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (or simply MOP) is the most powerful non-nuclear bomb ever developed in the United States. It weighs about 13.6 tons and is over six meters long. It is designed to precisely destroy the deepest bunkers. The MOP penetrates concrete and rocks and soil and is buried to a depth of up to 90 meters, where its warhead detonates. It is the only weapon capable of destroying underground complexes such as the Fordow uranium enrichment plant in Iran.
The bomb is equipped with a GPS guidance system and a detonator that can "sense" empty spaces in its path - such as tunnels or rooms - and detonate the charge exactly where it will cause maximum damage. The MOP was tested in 2007 and delivered to the US military in 2011. It has never been used in combat.
The US strategic bomber B-2 Spirit can carry two such bombs at a time.
The Fordow complex is carved into a rock massif and is protected by tens of meters of rock. IAEA inspectors who visited the site noted the presence of thick concrete walls, impact-resistant doors and a complex system of tunnels. It would probably take at least 2 MOP bombs to break through such protection.
In 2019, IAEA inspectors found samples of uranium enriched to 89%. And this was precisely at the Fordow nuclear facility, located south of the capital Tehran. Most of the Fordow complex is located deep underground. A system of tunnels has been laid in the mountain range at a depth of 60 to 90 meters. In 2009, Western intelligence services first reported the existence of such a facility.
Israel has managed to disable or significantly damage many sites of the Iranian nuclear program. But Israel has not even tried to bomb the Fordow megabunker, where the main production is located.
American forces in the region have been put on combat alert, aircraft carriers have arrived and MOP bombs are probably also deployed in the region - we are just waiting for an order from President Donald Trump. Iran has long believed its key nuclear facilities were virtually invulnerable.
Donald Trump has claimed that the United States has complete control over Iran's airspace and has demanded "unconditional surrender" from the Islamic Republic's authorities. According to media reports, the US administration has not yet decided whether to intervene in the war between Iran and Israel. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has already said that threats against Tehran are futile and threatened the United States with "irreparable damage" if it joins Israel.
Experts warn that even the destruction of uranium enrichment centrifuges located deep underground at Fordow would not necessarily mean the end of Iran's nuclear program, The Washington Post reports. There may be enrichment sites or nuclear fuel caches that UN inspectors are unaware of.
US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that he had not yet decided whether to support the Israeli air campaign. “I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I will do,” the US leader said. Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered to mediate in the conflict between Israel and Iran, adding that Moscow could help broker a ceasefire that would allow Tehran to develop a peaceful nuclear program while reassuring Israel, which fears for its security.