Latest news with #FDD
Sky News AU
2 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
‘Patience is wearing thin' and the ‘battle begins': War of words between Khamenei and Trump
FDD Iran Program Senior Director Behnam Ben Taleblu has discussed the war of words on social media between the US President and the Iranian Supreme Leader. Both leaders have posted on social media about the escalating conflict, with Trump claiming his patience is 'wearing thin', and Khamenei stating the 'battle begins'. 'Between Trump and Khamenei, there's a whole world of difference,' Mr Taleblu told Sky News Digital Presenter Gabriella Power. 'Both of these leaders are looking to use public messaging to try and bolster their deterrence.'
Sky News AU
3 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Iran's threats attempt to deter American involvement amid 15-tonne bomb scare
FDD Iran Program Senior Director Behnam Ben Taleblu has weighed in on the power needed to destroy Iran's nuclear facility. According to reports, a 15-tonne 'bunker buster' bomb is needed to destroy the last nuclear facility in Iran, which the US would need to provide Israel with. 'Already you have Iranian officials as well as Iranian government-linked social media channels threatening to widen the war,' Mr Taleblu told Sky News Digital Presenter Gabriella Power. 'Before American entry, these threats of widening the war were designed to deter American involvement and raise the cost of that involvement.'
Forbes
3 days ago
- Politics
- Forbes
Trump Is 'Keeping His Cards Very Close To The Chest': Expert Talks US Role In Israel-Iran Conflict
Behnam Ben Taleblu, Senior Director of the FDD's Iran program, joined "Forbes Newsroom" to discuss the continuing attacks between Israel and Iran, plus what President Donald Trump's recent comments indicate about the role of the United States in the conflict. Watch the full interview above.
Daily Tribune
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Tribune
Use of US bunker-buster bomb looms over Iran conflict
AFP | Washington, United States A powerful American bunker-busting bomb is the only weapon capable of destroying Iran's deeply buried nuclear facilities, making it President Donald Trump's weapon of choice if he chooses to militarily back Israel. The GBU-57, a 30,000-pound (13,607 kg) warhead capable of penetrating 200 feet (61 meters) underground before exploding, is missing from Israel's arsenal despite its stated goal of preventing Iran from building a nuclear bomb. - Why this bomb? - In less than a week, the Israeli army has taken out Iranian military commanders and damaged numerous surface installations, raising more questions than answers. "The regime's missile stockpiles, launchers, military bases, production facilities, nuclear scientists, military command and control has taken a very severe beating," said Behnam Ben Taleblu, director of the Iran program at the Washington-based think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), a conservative-leaning group. "But there are still outsized questions as to how efficacious of a strike Israel had against the beating hearts of Iran's nuclear program," Taleblu said. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has reported no damage at Fordo, a uranium enrichment plant south of Tehran. Unlike the Natanz and Isfahan sites in central Iran, Fordo is buried deep underground, beyond the reach of Israeli bombs. "All eyes will be on Fordo, which is buried under about 300 feet of rock in central Iran," Taleblu said. Former US Army lieutenant general and Rand Corporation defense researcher Mark Schwartz insists that "only the United States has the conventional capacity" to destroy such a site. And by "conventional capacity," he means the non-nuclear GBU-57 bomb. - What are its capabilities? - The US military says the GBU-57 -- also named Massive Ordnance Penetrator -- "is designed to penetrate up to 200 feet underground before exploding," navigating through rock and concrete. This differs from missiles or bombs that typically detonate their payload near or upon impact. "To defeat these deeply buried targets, these weapons need to be designed with rather thick casings of steel, hardened steel, to sort of punch through these layers of rock," said Masao Dahlgren, a fellow working on missile defense for the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington-based research center. The 6.6-meter-long GBU-57 also has a specialized fuse because "you need an explosive that's not going to immediately explode under that much shock and pressure," Dahlgren said. Design for this bomb began in the early 2000s, and an order for 20 units was placed with Boeing in 2009. - How is it deployed? - The only aircraft capable of deploying the GBU-57 is an American B-2 Bomber, a stealth aircraft. Some of these bombers were deployed in early May on Diego Garcia, the site of a joint UK-US military base in the Indian Ocean, but were no longer visible by mid-June, according to AFP's analysis of satellite imagery provided by Planet Labs. With their long-range capabilities, B-2s departing from the United States "are able to fly all the way to the Middle East to do bombing runs. That's been done before," Dahlgren said. Each B-2 can carry two GBU-57 bombs, and Schwartz said multiple bombs will likely be needed. "They're not going to just be one and done," he said. Schwartz added that the air superiority Israel has established over Iran reduces the risks faced by the B-2 bombers. - What are the consequences? - Such a US intervention would come with "a lot of political baggage for America," Taleblu said, emphasizing that the bunker-buster bomb is not the only way to address Iran's nuclear program. Without the GBU-57 bombs, and short of a diplomatic solution, Taleblu said Israelis could attack access to underground complexes like Fordo by "trying to hit entrances, collapse what they can, cut electricity" and take other measures that have already been taken at Natanz.
NDTV
3 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
About US GBU-57, Only Buster Bomb Capable Of Hitting Iran's Nuclear Sites
Washington: A powerful American bunker-busting bomb is the only weapon capable of destroying Iran's deeply buried nuclear facilities, making it President Donald Trump's weapon of choice if he chooses to militarily back Israel. The GBU-57, a 30,000-pound (13,607 kg) warhead capable of penetrating 200 feet (61 meters) underground before exploding, is missing from Israel's arsenal despite its stated goal of preventing Iran from building a nuclear bomb. Why This Bomb? In less than a week, the Israeli army has taken out Iranian military commanders and damaged numerous surface installations, raising more questions than answers. "The regime's missile stockpiles, launchers, military bases, production facilities, nuclear scientists, military command and control has taken a very severe beating," said Behnam Ben Taleblu, director of the Iran program at the Washington-based think tank Foundation for Defence of Democracies (FDD), a conservative-leaning group. "But there are still outsized questions as to how efficacious of a strike Israel had against the beating hearts of Iran's nuclear program," Mr Taleblu said. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has reported no damage at Fordo, a uranium enrichment plant south of Tehran. Unlike the Natanz and Isfahan sites in central Iran, Fordo is buried deep underground, beyond the reach of Israeli bombs. "All eyes will be on Fordo, which is buried under about 300 feet of rock in central Iran," Mr Taleblu said. Former US Army lieutenant general and Rand Corporation defence researcher Mark Schwartz insists that "only the United States has the conventional capacity" to destroy such a site. And by "conventional capacity," he means the non-nuclear GBU-57 bomb. What Are Its Capabilities? The US military says the GBU-57 -- also named Massive Ordnance Penetrator -- "is designed to penetrate up to 200 feet underground before exploding," navigating through rock and concrete. This differs from missiles or bombs that typically detonate their payload near or upon impact. "To defeat these deeply buried targets, these weapons need to be designed with rather thick casings of steel, hardened steel, to sort of punch through these layers of rock," said Masao Dahlgren, a fellow working on missile defense for the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington-based research center. The 6.6-meter-long GBU-57 also has a specialized fuse because "you need an explosive that's not going to immediately explode under that much shock and pressure," Mr Dahlgren said. Design for this bomb began in the early 2000s, and an order for 20 units was placed with Boeing in 2009. How Is It Deployed? The only aircraft capable of deploying the GBU-57 is an American B-2 Bomber, a stealth aircraft. Some of these bombers were deployed in early May on Diego Garcia, the site of a joint UK-US military base in the Indian Ocean, but were no longer visible by mid-June, according to AFP's analysis of satellite imagery provided by Planet Labs. With their long-range capabilities, B-2s departing from the United States "are able to fly all the way to the Middle East to do bombing runs. That's been done before," Mr Dahlgren said. Each B-2 can carry two GBU-57 bombs, and Schwartz said multiple bombs will likely be needed. "They're not going to just be one and done," he said. Schwartz added that the air superiority Israel has established over Iran reduces the risks faced by the B-2 bombers. What Are The Consequences? Such a US intervention would come with "a lot of political baggage for America," Mr Taleblu said, emphasising that the bunker-buster bomb is not the only way to address Iran's nuclear program. Without the GBU-57 bombs, and short of a diplomatic solution, Mr Taleblu said Israelis could attack access to underground complexes like Fordo by "trying to hit entrances, collapse what they can, cut electricity", and take other measures that have already been taken at Natanz.
