B-2 bombers moving to Guam amid West Asia tensions, US officials say

The B-2 can be equipped to carry America's 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, designed to destroy targets deep underground. That is the weapon that experts say could be used to strike Iran's nuclear program, including Fordow.

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Time of India

30 minutes ago

• Time of India

Iran's Atomic Energy Organization says it will not allow nuclear development to stop

Iran 's Atomic Energy Organization said on Sunday it would not allow the development of its "national industry" - an apparent reference to the country's nuclear development - to be stopped. ALSO READ: US forces bomb Iranian nuclear sites; 'Fordow is gone' says Trump It also said the attacks on its nuclear sites violate international law, without clarifying the extent of the damage from the U.S. strikes that President Donald Trump announced earlier.

Time of India

32 minutes ago

• Time of India

'Now is the time for peace,' says Trump after bombing three Iranian sites- but did Iran outsmart the bombs?

Evacuations blunt the edge of U.S. firepower Live Events Inside the strikes: what was targeted U.S.-Israel coordination: A calculated escalation Did Iran anticipate the attack? (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel In a striking display of both military might and diplomatic paradox, President Donald Trump declared, 'Now is the time for peace,' just hours after ordering U.S. airstrikes on Iran 's most sensitive nuclear facilities—Fordow, Natanz , and attacks, coordinated closely with Israel, were intended as a decisive blow to Iran's nuclear ambitions and a dramatic intervention in the spiraling Israel-Iran as new details emerge, a different narrative is taking shape—one that raises questions about both the effectiveness and the real impact of this high-stakes state media revealed that the targeted nuclear sites had been evacuated 'some time ago,' a move that appears to have dramatically limited the physical and radiological consequences of the strikes. Sensitive materials and personnel were removed in advance, reportedly as part of a contingency plan to avoid casualties and prevent environmental preemptive action meant that, despite the deployment of advanced B-2 bombers and bunker-buster munitions, the U.S. strikes may have hit mostly empty facilities, blunting the intended effect of crippling Iran's nuclear deeply buried enrichment facility was the primary target, with the U.S. unleashing its most powerful bunker-busters. However, the extent of the damage remains unclear, and Iranian officials insist there were no casualties or radiation main uranium enrichment hub was also struck, but, according to Iranian sources, no radioactive material was present at the time, further limiting the risk of site, crucial for uranium conversion and fuel production, was similarly evacuated, and no significant radiological impact has been reported.U.S. officials confirmed that Israel was notified both before and after the strikes, underscoring a high level of coordination between the two allies. Israeli sources described the operation as a critical escalation, coming after days of Israeli strikes that had already weakened Iran's missile revelation that Iran had already cleared its nuclear sites before the strikes raises the possibility that Tehran anticipated the attack, potentially through intelligence or by reading the diplomatic and military signals coming from Washington and Jerusalem. This has sparked debate among analysts: Did the U.S. and Israel achieve their objective, or did Iran's advance warning and evacuation render the operation more symbolic than strategic?As President Trump calls for peace, the region remains on edge. Iran's leaders have vowed a response, and the risk of further escalation persists. The International Atomic Energy Agency reports no immediate radiological threat to the public, and European diplomats continue to push for de-escalation.

Business Standard

36 minutes ago

• Business Standard

'Historic for US, Israel, world': Trump to address nation on Iran strikes

Earlier in the day, several US B-2 stealth bombers took off from the Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri on Friday night (local time) and were seen heading West, CNN reported ANI US Soon after announcing that the United States had launched a "very successful military operation" targeting three key nuclear sites in Iran, US President Donald Trump said that he would address the nation at 10 In a post on Truth Social, Trump described the operation as a historic moment for the US, Israel and the world, while urging Iran to agree to end the ongoing conflict. "I will be giving an Address to the Nation at 10:00 P.M., at the White House, regarding our very successful military operation in Iran. This is an HISTORIC MOMENT FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ISRAEL, AND THE WORLD. IRAN MUST NOW AGREE TO END THIS WAR. THANK YOU!" Trump wrote. The post comes after Trump announced that the US had struck three key Iranian nuclear sites--Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan--asserting that the operation, which involved a full payload of bombs on Fordow, was completed successfully with all US aircraft safely exiting Iranian airspace. The strike, part of a broader conflict between Iran and Israel, has marked the US's entry into the war with Iran. Earlier, Trump stated that the US has launched an attack on three nuclear sites in Iran. According to another post on Truth Social, Trump stated that the US had "successfully" hit three of Iran's key nuclear facilities--Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan--with a "full payload of BOMBS" being dropped on Fordow as the primary target. "We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home," Trump stated. "Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter," he added. The underground site at Fordow and the larger Natanz plant were Iran's two primary uranium enrichment facilities, out of which Natanz had already been hit by Israel with smaller weapons earlier in the week, the New York Times reported. The third site, located near the historic city of Isfahan, is believed to store Iran's stockpile of near-weapons-grade enriched uranium. Earlier in the day, several US B-2 stealth bombers took off from the Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri on Friday night (local time) and were seen heading West, CNN reported, citing flight tracking data. However, there is still no confirmation if the B-2 bombers were part of the attack on these nuclear sites. As of Saturday, the aircraft were flying over the Pacific Ocean and appeared to be en route to Guam, as reported by CNN. According to CNN, the B-2 bombers are uniquely equipped to carry the Massive Ordnance Penetrator -- a 30,000-pound "bunker buster" bomb believed to be the only weapon capable of targeting Iran's underground Fordow nuclear site. Each B-2 can carry two of these powerful bombs. The conflict between Israel and Iran entered its ninth day on Saturday, with the US now joining in support of Israel. The conflict started after Israel, on June 13, launched a massive airstrike on Iranian military and nuclear sites, dubbed "Operation Rising Lion." In response, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched a large-scale drone and missile operation, 'Operation True Promise 3', targeting Israeli fighter jet fuel production facilities and energy supply centres. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)