President Donald Trump has reiterated that the United States will not get directly involved in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran. However, if the situation escalates, he could consider deploying B-2 planes equipped with "bunker-busting bombs" to target Iranian nuclear facilities.
Iran's nuclear program operates from several sites throughout the country, including the fortified facilities at Natanz and Fordow. The Fordow site, built deep within a mountain, poses significant challenges for potential airstrikes. It is heavily protected by Iranian and Russian missile defense systems, although reports suggest that some of these systems may have already experienced damage from recent Israeli airstrikes.
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This context raises the question of America's potential military involvement. The United States possesses precision-guided Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bombs that weigh approximately 30,000 pounds. They are designed to penetrate deep underground — up to 200 feet — before detonating, meaning these bombs can be utilized in a series to effectively target fortified sites.
The U.S. is currently the only nation capable of delivering such bombs using B-2 stealth bombers, which are solely operated by the American Air Force. Officials have indicated that B-2 planes have been successfully configured and tested for deploying two of these bunker-busting bombs simultaneously.
Israeli officials, however, claim that U.S. support is currently "confined to defensive posture."
"We're very, very thankful to President Trump and the administration for the THAAD missile, anti-missile defense system, for the Aegis missile defense system, but it's only in a defensive posture," said Yechiel Leiter, Israeli ambassador to the U.S. "We have a number of contingencies which will enable us to deal with Fordow. Not everything is a matter of, you know, taking to the skies and bombing from afar."
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In late March, satellite imagery revealed B-2s stationed at Diego Garcia, a U.S. military installation in the Indian Ocean. This joint military base with the United Kingdom serves as a strategic platform that could facilitate airstrikes on Iran.
It is believed, however, that they have since returned to their home base in Missouri. The Pentagon has not confirmed the current locations of these aircraft, leaving their future deployment in the region uncertain.
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