Latest news with #Fordo
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bombing Iran's underground nuclear plant might not be effective, one expert says
A U.S. attack on a key Iranian nuclear facility might not be effective, even if American military's massive bunker-buster bombs are used, a national security expert familiar with Iran's program told ABC News on Thursday. While the 30,000-pound bombs have been tested, they've never actually been used and the exact nature of the concrete and metal protecting the site located deep inside a mountain -- that the bombs would need to penetrate -- isn't fully known. Joe Cirincione, who has spent decades researching nuclear proliferation for Congress and other world leaders, told ABC News that while attacking Iran's nuclear enrichment program would cripple its nuclear weapons capability, it would not eliminate it. At the center of President Donald Trump's decision on whether to attack Iran is the Fordo nuclear enrichment facility in northwest Iran. It's said to be built 300 feet deep inside a mountain -- maybe more -- and reinforced with concrete, according to experts. The U.S. weapon touted as able to strike inside the Fordo facility the GBU-57 A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb, known as a "bunker buster." It's capable of penetrating 200 feet deep inside an underground target and then exploding, experts say. Cirincione said that using the untested weapon would not guarantee success. "Fordo is not an easy target. They made this very difficult for the United States to destroy," he said. "Even [the bunker buster] can not penetrate 300 feet of mountain and reinforced concrete. "You need to drop a bomb, that will dig a crater, and then another bomb in that crater and then another bomb, and then another," he said. "And then you will only damage that part of the facility." Cirincione also noted that even if there's some damage done, Iran's government has the knowledge, experience and, most important, enough enriched uranium and centrifuges in other locations to move forward with relative ease. MORE: The US bunker-buster bomb and how it could be used against Iran's nuclear program "You can't bomb that," he told ABC News. "You can slow it down, but they can pick up and start again fast and they know it." The International Atomic Energy Agency this week passed a resolution that stated Iran had breached its non-proliferation agreements and has been illegally stockpiling enriched uranium. "I've been there, it's half a mile underground," Rafael Grossi, the IAEA's director general, said about the Fordo plant, as reported by The New York Times. Days after the IAEA acted, Israeli forces attacked Iranian targets after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed the Iranian government could create a nuclear weapon "in a very short time." Iranian officials have dismissed claims by Israel that they are building a nuclear weapon. MORE: Israel-Iran live updates White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday that the president would make a decision about attacking Iran "in two weeks." Cirincione stressed that continued military strikes would not be a good option for Israel or the U.S. if the goal is an Iran without nuclear weapons. "Once you recognize there is no military solution to this problem, the military solutions can only be threats to Iran and the only answer is to get Iran to agree to roll back and end its capabilities," he said.
CBS News
13 hours ago
- Politics
- CBS News
What to know about the MOP and the B-2, the bunker-buster bomb and plane that could be used to strike Iran
B-2 Spirit Bombers: The planes that could be used to target Iran's Fordo nuclear site Israel's strikes against Iran have killed a number of its top nuclear scientists and battered its nuclear facilities, but complete destruction of Iran's ability to make weapons-grade uranium is believed to be out of reach — unless the U.S. agrees to help. At least one key uranium enrichment site, Fordo, has so far been unscathed. Located 300 feet beneath a mountain and protected by Russian-produced air defenses, Fordo is believed by military experts to be key to Iran's nuclear program. Nuclear non-proliferation experts say this is where Iran has tried to enrich uranium for weapons purposes and expand its stockpile of enriched uranium. Israel's best chance at destroying the facility at Fordo could lie with a U.S.-produced bomb that's so heavy that it can only be dropped by a U.S. plane. At a hearing Wednesday, Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire raised this with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. "It's being reported that the president is being asked to consider providing the bunker-buster bomb that is required to be carried only by the B-2 Bomber and would require a U.S. pilot," she said, asking Hegseth whether he had been asked to provide President Trump with options for striking the Middle East. He declined to answer. Mr. Trump is considering joining Israel's offensive against Iran, and approved attack plans Tuesday, but has not made a final decision, CBS News has reported. The White House said Thursday that the president would make a decision on whether to order a strike within the next two weeks. Sources told CBS News that the president had discussed the logistics of using bunker-buster bombs as he weighs whether to wade into the conflict between Iran and Israel. Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb In this photo released by the U.S. Air Force on May 2, 2023, airmen look at a GBU-57, or the Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb, at Whiteman Air Base in Missouri. U.S. Air Force via AP, File The bomb that Shaheen was referring to is the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, known as a MOP. It is designed to attack "deeply-buried facilities and hardened bunkers and tunnels," according to the Air Force. It's guided by military GPS and is meant to reach and destroy targets in well-protected facilities. The MOP measures about 20.5 feet in length and 31.5 inches in diameter, according to the Air Force. It weighs in at just under 30,000 pounds, including about 5,300 pounds of explosive material. The Air Force says that the MOP's explosive power is over 10 times that of its predecessor, the BLU-109. It's designed to penetrate up to 200 feet underground before exploding. The warhead is encased in a special high-performance steel alloy, which is meant to enable it to carry a large explosive payload while maintaining the penetrator case's integrity during impact, according to an Air Force fact sheet. Boeing developed the GBU-57, and as of 2015, the aerospace company had been contracted to produce 20 of them, according to the Air Force. Because of the GBU-57's weight — it's the heaviest bomb produced by the U.S. — the B-2 Spirit is currently the only aircraft in the Air Force that is equipped to carry and deploy it. B-2 Spirit A U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber lands at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. Steve Parsons/PA Images via Getty Images One of the key attributes of the B-2 Spirit is its stealth — it's able to evade air defenses and reach heavily defended targets. It's aerodynamically efficient and its internal weapons bays can carry two of the GBU-57 bombs. Because of what the Air Force refers to as the plane's "low-observable technologies," the B-2 Spirit has a "high level of freedom of action at high altitudes." It's built with a combination of "reduced infrared, acoustic, electromagnetic, visual and radar signatures." This, along with composite materials, special coatings, wing design and other classified processes, make the B-2 difficult for even the most sophisticated defense systems to detect and track. Without refueling, its range is about 6,000 nautical miles. The B-2 took its first flight in 1989, in California, but now, Whiteman Air Force Base, in Missouri, is the only B-2 base. It's been used for airstrikes in the Kosovo War, in Afghanistan and in Iraq. The prime contractor for the B-2 is Northrop Grumman. For years, some lawmakers and defense experts have suggested that the U.S. provide Israel with GBU-57 bombs and jets capable of carrying them — but the idea is controversial, with critics arguing the move would be provocative.
CBS News
16 hours ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Trump sees disabling Iran nuclear site at Fordo as necessary, says he'll decide on strike within 2 weeks
Washington — President Trump has been briefed on both the risks and the benefits of bombing Fordo, Iran's most secure nuclear site, and his mindset is that disabling it is necessary because of the risk of weapons being produced in a relatively short period of time, multiple sources told CBS News. "He believes there's not much choice," one source said. "Finishing the job means destroying Fordo." The president approved attack plans on Iran on Tuesday night, but has not made a final decision on whether to strike the country and formally join Israel's air campaign, a senior intelligence source and a Defense Department official told CBS News on Wednesday. Mr. Trump held off on deciding to strike in case Tehran agrees to abandon its nuclear program, the sources said. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president will make a decision on whether to order a strike within the next two weeks. "Based on the fact that there is a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks," Mr. Trump said in a statement read by Leavitt at the White House press briefing. CBS News previously reported that Mr. Trump was weighing a strike on Fordo, a subterranean uranium enrichment facility. Israel has not conducted any known strikes on Fordo since it began bombing Iranian nuclear and military targets late last week. Trump's decision Mr. Trump is willing to get the U.S. involved if that's what it takes to knock out the site, sources said. As of Thursday, he was still reviewing his options and has not made a firm decision either way. He has discussed the logistics of using bunker-buster bombs, two of the sources said. It was not immediately clear how much of the U.S. military infrastructure needed for a strike was in place or how much time it would take to move assets into position. One option Mr. Trump has considered is that Iran could disable Fordo on its own, if its leaders so choose, two of the sources said. Ufuk Celal Guzel/Anadolu via Getty Images David Lammy, the foreign secretary of the U.K., is set to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington later Thursday, a European official said, with active diplomacy underway to find an off-ramp in the conflict and make a take-it-or-leave-it offer to Iran. London maintains an embassy in Tehran, giving the U.K. visibility that the U.S. does not have in the Iranian capital. Mr. Trump is aware of the diplomatic effort being undertaken, with the foreign ministers of Germany, France and Great Britain, as well as the high representative of the EU, set to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Geneva on Friday. Mr. Trump has viewed intelligence reports indicating the estimated speed at which Iran could produce bombs, two of the sources said. John Ratcliffe, the CIA director, has said in closed-door settings that Iran is viewed as being very close to possessing nuclear weapons, according to multiple sources. Ratcliffe has said that claiming Iran isn't close would be similar to saying football players who have fought their way to the one-yard line don't want to score a touchdown, one U.S. official said. Congressional committees that have been briefed by senior CIA analysts have been told the intelligence community's view remains that no order to weaponize has been given by the supreme leader and that Iran has not restarted research on a delivery mechanism for a nuclear bomb. The CIA declined to comment. Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Wednesday that "so far, at least, the intelligence community has stood by its conclusion that Iran is not moving towards a nuclear weapon." "They were enriching additional uranium, but they were not weaponizing that yet, and that [decision] was left with the supreme leader," he told reporters. "If there has been a change in that intelligence, I need to know, and I want to make sure that if it is changed, it's based upon fact and not political influence." "Things change, especially with war" Mr. Trump told reporters on Wednesday he had not made a final decision on whether to strike Iran. "I like to make the final decision one second before it's due, because things change, especially with war," he said. "I may do it. I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do," he said earlier in the day, adding that he'd like Iran to negotiate on a deal to end its nuclear program. Iran — which has long insisted the program exists solely for peaceful purposes — said Wednesday it "does NOT negotiate under duress," and said it would "respond to any threat with a counter-threat." Iran has prepared missiles and equipment for strikes on U.S. bases in the Middle East if the U.S. joins the Israeli campaign, according to a senior U.S. intelligence official and a Pentagon official briefed on the matter. Israel began striking Iran last Friday morning. The Trump administration has said publicly it is not participating in the offensive strikes, though CBS News previously reported the U.S. has helped Israel intercept Iran's retaliatory missile strikes. In recent days, Mr. Trump has not ruled out the idea of joining Israel's campaign, saying on Truth Social his "patience is wearing thin." The president said Tuesday the U.S. knows the whereabouts of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. "He is an easy target, but is safe there — We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now," Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social. On Sunday, CBS News reported Mr. Trump had opposed an Israeli plan to kill Khamenei.
CBS News
17 hours ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Trump sees disabling Iran nuclear site at Fordo as necessary as he weighs decision on strike
Washington — President Trump has been briefed on both the risks and the benefits of bombing Fordo, Iran's most secure nuclear site, and his mindset is that disabling it is necessary because of the risk of weapons being produced in a relatively short period of time, multiple sources told CBS News. "He believes there's not much choice," one source said. "Finishing the job means destroying Fordo." The president approved attack plans on Iran on Tuesday night, but has not made a final decision on whether to strike the country and formally join Israel's air campaign, a senior intelligence source and a Defense Department official told CBS News on Wednesday. Mr. Trump held off on deciding to strike in case Tehran agrees to abandon its nuclear program, the sources said. CBS News previously reported that Mr. Trump was weighing a strike on Fordo, a subterranean uranium enrichment facility. Israel has not conducted any known strikes on Fordo since it began bombing Iranian nuclear and military targets late last week. Trump's decision Mr. Trump is willing to get the U.S. involved if that's what it takes to knock out the site, sources said. As of Thursday morning, he was still reviewing his options and has not made a firm decision either way. He has discussed the logistics of using bunker-buster bombs, two of the sources said. It was not immediately clear how much of the U.S. military infrastructure needed for a strike was in place or how much time it would take to move assets into position. One option Mr. Trump has considered is that Iran could disable Fordo on its own, if its leaders so choose, two of the sources said. Ufuk Celal Guzel/Anadolu via Getty Images David Lammy, the foreign secretary of the U.K., is set to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington later Thursday, a European official said, with active diplomacy underway to find an off-ramp in the conflict and make a take-it-or-leave-it offer to Iran. London maintains an embassy in Tehran, giving the U.K. visibility that the U.S. does not have in the Iranian capital. Mr. Trump is aware of the diplomatic effort being undertaken, with the foreign ministers of Germany, France and Great Britain, as well as the high representative of the EU, set to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Geneva on Friday. Mr. Trump has viewed intelligence reports indicating the estimated speed at which Iran could produce bombs, two of the sources said. John Ratcliffe, the CIA director, has said in closed-door settings that Iran is viewed as being very close to possessing nuclear weapons, according to multiple sources. Ratcliffe has said that claiming Iran isn't close would be similar to saying football players who have fought their way to the one-yard line don't want to score a touchdown, one U.S. official said. Congressional committees that have been briefed by senior CIA analysts have been told the intelligence community's view remains that no order to weaponize has been given by the supreme leader and that Iran has not restarted research on a delivery mechanism for a nuclear bomb. The CIA declined to comment. Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Wednesday that "so far, at least, the intelligence community has stood by its conclusion that Iran is not moving towards a nuclear weapon." "They were enriching additional uranium, but they were not weaponizing that yet, and that [decision] was left with the supreme leader," he told reporters. "If there has been a change in that intelligence, I need to know, and I want to make sure that if it is changed, it's based upon fact and not political influence." "Things change, especially with war" Mr. Trump told reporters on Wednesday he had not made a final decision on whether to strike Iran. "I like to make the final decision one second before it's due, because things change, especially with war," he said. "I may do it. I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do," he said earlier in the day, adding that he'd like Iran to negotiate on a deal to end its nuclear program. Iran — which has long insisted the program exists solely for peaceful purposes — said Wednesday it "does NOT negotiate under duress," and said it would "respond to any threat with a counter-threat." Iran has prepared missiles and equipment for strikes on U.S. bases in the Middle East if the U.S. joins the Israeli campaign, according to a senior U.S. intelligence official and a Pentagon official briefed on the matter. Israel began striking Iran last Friday morning. The Trump administration has said publicly it is not participating in the offensive strikes, though CBS News previously reported the U.S. has helped Israel intercept Iran's retaliatory missile strikes. In recent days, Mr. Trump has not ruled out the idea of joining Israel's campaign, saying on Truth Social his "patience is wearing thin." The president said Tuesday the U.S. knows the whereabouts of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. "He is an easy target, but is safe there — We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now," Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social. On Sunday, CBS News reported Mr. Trump had opposed an Israeli plan to kill Khamenei.
CBS News
18 hours ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Trump sees disabling Iran nuclear site as necessary as he weighs decision on strike
Washington — President Trump has been briefed on both the risks and the benefits of bombing Fordo, Iran's most secure nuclear site, and his mindset is that disabling it is necessary because of the risk of weapons being produced in a relatively short period of time, multiple sources told CBS News. "He believes there's not much choice," one source said. "Finishing the job means destroying Fordo." The president approved attack plans on Iran on Tuesday night, but has not made a final decision on whether to strike the country and formally join Israel's air campaign, a senior intelligence source and a Defense Department official told CBS News on Wednesday. Mr. Trump held off on deciding to strike in case Tehran agrees to abandon its nuclear program, the sources said. CBS News previously reported that Mr. Trump was weighing a strike on Fordo, a subterranean uranium enrichment facility. Israel has not conducted any known strikes on Fordo since it began bombing Iranian nuclear and military targets late last week. Trump's decision Mr. Trump is willing to get the U.S. involved if that's what it takes to knock out the site, sources said. As of Thursday morning, he was still reviewing his options and has not made a firm decision either way. He has discussed the logistics of using bunker-buster bombs, two of the sources said. It was not immediately clear how much of the U.S. military infrastructure needed for a strike was in place or how much time it would take to move assets into position. One option Mr. Trump has considered is that Iran could disable Fordo on its own, if its leaders so choose, two of the sources said. David Lammy, the foreign secretary of the U.K., is set to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington later Thursday, a European official said, with active diplomacy underway to find an off-ramp in the conflict and make a take-it-or-leave-it offer to Iran. London maintains an embassy in Tehran, giving the U.K. visibility that the U.S. does not have in the Iranian capital. Mr. Trump is aware of the diplomatic effort being undertaken, with EU officials set to meet with the Iranian foreign minister in Switzerland on Friday. Mr. Trump has viewed intelligence reports indicating the estimated speed at which Iran could produce bombs, two of the sources said. John Ratcliffe, the CIA director, has said in closed-door settings that Iran is viewed as being very close to possessing nuclear weapons, despite the official line from the intelligence community that Iran's leadership hasn't given a formal order to build bombs, according to multiple sources. Ratcliffe has said that claiming Iran isn't close would be similar to saying football players who have fought their way to the one-yard line don't want to score a touchdown, one U.S. official said. "Things change, especially with war" Mr. Trump told reporters on Wednesday he had not made a final decision on whether to strike Iran. "I like to make the final decision one second before it's due, because things change, especially with war," he said. "I may do it. I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do," he said earlier in the day, adding that he'd like Iran to negotiate on a deal to end its nuclear program. Iran — which has long insisted the program exists solely for peaceful purposes — said Wednesday it "does NOT negotiate under duress," and said it would "respond to any threat with a counter-threat." Iran has prepared missiles and equipment for strikes on U.S. bases in the Middle East if the U.S. joins the Israeli campaign, according to a senior U.S. intelligence official and a Pentagon official briefed on the matter. Israel began striking Iran last Friday morning. The Trump administration has said publicly it is not participating in the offensive strikes, though CBS News previously reported the U.S. has helped Israel intercept Iran's retaliatory missile strikes. In recent days, Mr. Trump has not ruled out the idea of joining Israel's campaign, saying on Truth Social his "patience is wearing thin." The president said Tuesday the U.S. knows the whereabouts of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. "He is an easy target, but is safe there — We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now," Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social. On Sunday, CBS News reported Mr. Trump had opposed an Israeli plan to kill Khamenei.
