The most strongly protected nuclear installation of Iran was built inside a mountain to protect it from attacks. Only US military personnel have the 13,600 pound bomb that can reach it. This bomb is known as “Bunker Buster” because it is designed to destroy deep underground bunkers or well -buried weapons in highly protected facilities. It is believed to be the only weapon thrown by air with some chance to destroy the site.
In theory, the powerful antibunker bomb would be able to disable the nuclear program in the country Persian, which maintains some of its most important foundations in fortified areas under the earth. Known by the official name GBU-57/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), the model is able to penetrate underground military facilities and is considered the most dangerous nonnuclear weapon in the world.
With almost 14 tons and ability to penetrate at least 60 meters deep without detonating, the MOP is part of the American Air Force antibunker bombs that has been updated several times over the years. It is estimated that the US has at least five variants of this type of weapon, the latest being the GBU-57/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator.
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Last year, the US Air Force discreetly corrected a problem with the integration of the MOP with bomber B-2 Spirit, the only certified aircraft to operate the pump. During the work, a new “intelligent sports” was also tested to increase the efficacy of the weapon even when the accurate position and depth of the target are not known.
The pump already has a spare -detected spare area designed to fire when it finds an open space. Such technology can be combined with a device that allows the MOP to penetrate more deeply before detonating.
For deeper installations, it is also possible to deploy several antibunker pumps that, thanks to its GPS accuracy technology, allows bombers to launch -layered, with each digging deeper than the previous one.
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Although B-2 is the only approved bomber to implement operational bombs, B-52 bombing tests have already been done, expanding the possibilities of weapon use at a time when it becomes increasingly strategic for the United States.
In October last year, the US Armed Forces launched B-2 bombers to attack Bunkers used by Houthi rebels to store weapons in Yemen-the first use of combat-type aircraft in years and the first time against the Arab country. By announcing the attacks, the then US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, signaled that the use of bombers was also a message to Tehran.
Challenges to dismantle the program
Despite the power of deterrent that such a weapon can exercise at a negotiation table, the MOP may not be able to completely disqualify the Iranian nuclear program. In 2023, satellite images, videos and photos analyzed by the US Agency Associated Press showed that Iran was digging tunnels on the mountain near Natanz’s nuclear installation, which in recent years has been the target of five massive attacks against the Iranian program.
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The construction began five years after US President Donald Trump, then in his first term, unilaterally removed the US from the nuclear agreement, claiming that the deal would not have included the Tehran Ballistic missile program nor its Middle East Militia support. At the time, Tehran stated that the new construction would replace a centrifugal manufacturing center that had been destroyed in 2020 by Israel.
Protected by anti -aircraft batteries, fences and revolutionary guard of Iran, the installation extends for 2.7 kilometers in the arid central plateau of the country. To AP, experts said the installation would probably have 80 to 100 meters deep, in addition to the 60 meters of range of the MOP.
In addition to protection against antibunker bombs, experts also told the agency that the project size indicates that the installation could also be used to enrich uranium, not just to build centrifuges. Since the end of the nuclear agreement, Iran claims to have enriched uranium up to 60%, although inspectors found that the country has already produced uranium particles with 83.7% purity, near the 90% uranium limit used for atomic bombs.
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“Even at best, where military attacks effectively destroy the main facilities, the knowledge basis of uranium enrichment, reactor technology and the fuel cycle needed to support nuclear fission would remain intact,” says CSIS.
