Latest news with #YechielLeiter
LeMonde
14 hours ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
The American GBU-57 bomb is the only weapon capable of reaching Iran's Fordo nuclear site
"This entire operation (...) really has to be completed with the elimination of Fordo." As Yechiel Leiter, Israel's ambassador to the US, summed it up on Fox News on Friday, June 13, the goal of the attack launched against Iran, to put an end to its nuclear program, will only be achieved with the destruction of the uranium enrichment site, located 150 kilometers South of Tehran. The Israeli military claims to have struck the underground section of Natanz – the other Iranian uranium enrichment hub – which was confirmed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), though the extent of the damage was not specified. However, according to the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, which said it had informed the IAEA, Fordo, considered the crown jewel of Iran's nuclear program and protected as such, suffered only superficial damage from the strikes. Buried into the side of a mountain beneath 80 to 90 meters of rock and concrete, the site is out of reach of conventional weapons available to Israeli forces, explained Justin Bronk, a defense systems expert and researcher at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a British think tank. The penetrating bombs in Israel's arsenal "might be able to collapse entrance and ventilation passages, only the United States Air Force has a conventional weapon capable of breaching the main facility from the air," he said, referring to the "Massive Ordnance Penetrator GBU-57/B." This precision-guided bomb weighs 13,600 kilograms, including a 2,700-kilogram warhead, and can burrow 60 meters underground before detonating, according to the US Air Force, which will not specify the types of materials it can penetrate. According to Bronk, "at least two weapons dropped sequentially into the same breaching aim point are likely to be required to reach and destroy the main centrifuge facilities at Fordo." The GBU-57 was designed "specifically for Fordo," said Ali Vaez, director of Iran research at the International Crisis Group, recalling that the Pentagon acknowledged in 2012 that the "bunker busters" it then possessed could not reach the site's underground facilities. The new version, presented in 2013 to Israeli political and military officials, according to the Wall Street Journal, was equipped with adjustable fuses to maximize penetration capabilities, more precise guidance systems and devices to evade Iranian air defenses. 'Defensive posture' Several types of heavy American bombers, including the B-52, are capable of carrying the GBU-57, but only the B-2 is authorized to do so. The stealth aircraft, which has a range of 11,000 kilometers, can carry two bombs, according to the US Air Force. "With the aid of aerial refueling [it] could even mount attacks on Fordow and other Iranian hardened targets from their home base in Missouri," noted Bronk. The use of this weapon would therefore require direct US participation in Israeli operations. Donald Trump did not rule this out on Sunday, but it is not currently on the agenda. The White House reiterated on Tuesday that US forces in the region remained in a "defensive posture." However, according to the flight tracking website AirNav Radar, about 30 refueling aircraft left the US on Sunday to land at, among other locations, Ramstein Air Base in Germany, as well as in the United Kingdom, Estonia and Greece. "It is a clear signal of strategic readiness," showing that "the US is positioning itself for rapid escalation," said Eric Schouten, director general of the intelligence firm Dyami Security Intelligence, told Reuters. As for the effectiveness of potentially using one or more GBU-57s, Vaez expressed doubt. American bunker-busting weapons were used in Afghanistan and Yemen, the researcher recalled, but "in both cases, the bomb did not help the US achieve its strategic objectives." Even if the US decided to use them, "it would be difficult for them to destroy the Fordo site," according to Kelsey Davenport of the Arms Control Association. "Even if they manage to do so, the destruction of Fordo "will not put an end to Iran's uranium enrichment program or resolve the risk of Tehran developing nuclear weapons. Iran gained valuable knowledge over the past several years about uranium enrichment and it may have stashed centrifuges at an undeclared site," she said. "Strikes may set Iran back, but it is not a long-term solution to preventing a nuclear-armed Iran."
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israel will go it alone in Iran, if necessary: Ambassador
(NewsNation) — Israel's ambassador to the U.S. says his country remains committed to finishing what it started in Iran last week, even if President Trump does not allow the American military to help take out Iran's nuclear stronghold in Fordow, which remains intact. 'We are absolutely committed to finding a way to seeing this through so that Iran no longer poses an existential threat to the state of Israel,' Yechiel Leiter told 'Elizabeth Vargas Reports' on Wednesday. Late last week, Israel launched strikes against Iranian sites and top-level military leaders and scientists in a campaign, it said, to end Iran's nearly realized ambitions to acquire nuclear weapons. Iran responded with missiles, and the two sides have been trading attacks for six days. What did Trump know about Israel's strike on Iran before it happened? Trump distanced himself from Israel's initial strike but has not ruled out authorizing U.S. military assistance for its ally. Leiter appeared to hold out hope that the president would lend support and that others might side with Israel in the field. 'Obviously, there are a lot of Iranians who are very much in favor of what we're doing, and there's all sorts of collaborations going on, all sorts of possibilities,' he said, not elaborating. Iran has warned the U.S. from getting involved in the conflict. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
NBC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- NBC News
Israeli ambassador says Trump ‘will support our efforts' against Iran
As President Trump weighs U.S. strikes on Iran, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter tells Meet the Press NOW that American military support of Israel is 'important' to the country's victory over Iran. NBC News Chief Justice and National Affairs Correspondent Kelly O'Donnell, International Correspondent Matt Bradley and retired Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt discuss the domestic and international pressures weighing on the U.S. to intervene in the 18, 2025
Axios
2 days ago
- Politics
- Axios
The U.S. could join Israel's war with Iran to deploy this 30,000-pound bomb
A 30,000-pound bomb might be the most important weapon for Israel's war with Iran — and it's in the U.S. military's hands. Why it matters: The U.S. alone possesses the world's most powerful non-nuclear bomb — and it's uniquely capable of targeting key Iranian facilities that Israel can't hit with its own weapons. Zoom in: The bomb in question is 30,000 pounds and precision-guided: the GBU-57 E/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator, also known as the "MOP." In 2015, the U.S. Air Force said that the MOP was "designed to accomplish a difficult, complicated mission of reaching and destroying our adversaries' weapons of mass destruction located in well protected facilities." It's also known as the "bunker-buster." And bunker-busting is exactly what Israel's aim is. Iran's Fordow facility is built into a mountain and hundreds of feet underground — the kind of fortress the MOP is designed to penetrate. If the facility remains accessible and intact, Iran's nuclear program — which Israel is determined to eliminate — could actually accelerate. "The entire operation ... really has to be completed with the elimination of Fordow," Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter told Fox News on Friday. Zoom out: That's where U.S. assistance — and the MOP — would come in. The bombs Israel has access to aren't nearly as strong. The U.S. would likely use B-2 Spirit stealth bombers to drop the bombs. Our thought bubble: A B-2 bomber, which is capable of quietly flying extraordinary distances, dropping a MOP is about as potent as it gets — shy of nuclear power, Axios' future of defense reporter Colin Demarest said. Particularly relevant here is a description from the Pentagon's independent weapons tester: The MOP is "designed to attack hard and deeply buried targets (HDBTs) such as bunkers and tunnels." What they're saying: The use of the MOP would be unprecedented. "To destroy Fordow, which the MOP was explicitly designed for, would probably take at least two bombs, each hitting exactly the same spot," Robert Pape, a US military historian and author of Bombing to Win, told the Financial Times on Wednesday. "That may be fine, and I am sure the US Air Force has the technical capabilities. But it's never been done before in a real war." The latest: President Trump said Wednesday that Iran still wants to negotiate with the U.S. and proposed sending a delegation to the White House, but that it was getting "very late" for talks and he might soon authorize strikes. A U.S. attack would likely spark retaliation on U.S. bases and other targets in the region, potentially drawing the U.S. into a protracted conflict with Iran. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declined to provide details of U.S. military plans in Iran during an open-door Senate hearing on Wednesday. He said only that if and when Trump orders a strike, the Pentagon "will be ready to execute it."
USA Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- USA Today
How does a bunker-buster bomb work? A closer look at the GBU-57
How does a bunker-buster bomb work? A closer look at the GBU-57 While Israel is wielding a wide array of weapons during their ongoing attacks on Iran, there is at least one which only the United States can bring to the battlespace: a bunker-busting bomb known as the GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator. According to Department of Defense documents, the GBU-57 is a guided, penetrating weapon with the ability to reach and destroy targets in deeply buried and hardened bunkers and tunnels. The warhead case is made from a high performance steel alloy and which allows for a large explosive payload while maintaining integrity during impact. Here's a closer look at the heavy-duty munition, the warplane that carries it, and one potential target. Unable to see our graphics? Click here to reload the page. Only U.S.-made B-2 Spirit stealth bombers are programmed to carry the GBU-57s, which weigh more than 30,000 pounds. Each B-2 based at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri can hold two of the bombs. One June 15, Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter appeared on ABC News 'This Week' where host Martha Raddatz asked Leiter to talk about Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, suggesting that Israel cannot destroy the site located deep under a mountainside without U.S. assistance in the form of bunker-busting bombs. Fordo has 1,000 centrifuges used to enrich uranium. Leiter suggested that Israel may not need to rely on the bomb Raddatz described, to achieve its aims. "We have a number of contingencies which will enable us to deal with Fordow. Not everything is a matter of taking to the skies and bombing from afar," said Leiter. "We're certain that we can set back the nuclear weapons system development within Iran for a very, very long time." Israel's National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi offered the clearest signal yet about the goals of Israel's air campaign, telling local Channel 12 News on June 17 the military is going after the hardest target in Iran: The Fordo nuclear enrichment plant. 'This operation will not conclude without a strike on the Fordo nuclear facility,' Hanegbi said. Read more: Israel wants to demolish Iran's nuclear facilities. Does it need US military help? Israel-Iran timeline: How Israeli attack and Iranian retaliation unfolded Israel attacks Iran: See strike map, satellite images of nuclear sites Live updates: Trump teases possible US strike as Iran supreme leader warns America Why Israel wants U.S. 'bunker busters' for strikes on Iran's nuclear sites Contributing: Cybele Mayes-Osterman, Tom Vanden Brook, Kim Hjelmgaard, Stephen J. Beard, Jennifer Borresen, and Shawn J. Sullivan, USA TODAY
