Washington: According to reports from U.S. Fox Media, it has moved six B-2 Spirit stealth bombers from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri to Guam along with GBU-57 bombs weighing 30,000 pounds to lead strikes on Iran’s hardened Fordow nuclear site in a growing feasibility of an Iran-Israel conflict.
B-2s are unable to carry an unlimited payload, and the limited range LED lights on the flight tracking data and some air traffic control comms, reportedly obtained by Fox News, indicated that the B-2s were not taking off with a full load of fuel, needing mid-air refuelling; this strongly suggests the heavy payload was the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP). Fordow is located 260–300 feet below ground in a mountain near Qom, and the only weapons capable of destroying it are the two 13.6-tonne GBU-57 bombs each B-2 can carry, which are designed to penetrate 200 feet of earth or concrete before exploding.
President Donald Trump has been noncommittal on U.S. participation. ‘I will do it, and I may not do it,’ he said in a June 18 press conference, restating his preference for diplomacy but saying that ‘Iran’s nuclear arms might lead to action.’ For decades, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fought for U.S. assistance in attacking Fordow, a major Iranian facility that the IAEA found enriches uranium to 83.7%, close to weapons-grade capability.
Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defence of Democracies, told Fox News, “Fordow is an underground facility, and the only way to destroy it is from the air – and that’s only a job for the U.S.” The MOP uses gravity to dig deep, and then underground structures can be collapsed, JINSA’s Foreign Policy Director Jonathan Ruhe said. But some Pentagon officers have challenged its usefulness, saying scores of strikes, or even tactical nuclear weapons, are needed, something the U.S. shies away from because of the dangers of radioactive fallout.
Iran has said U.S. strikes would mean facing “all-out war”, a warning that an attack could hit one of the U.S. bases in Iraq or embassies. X posts are citing speculation among the public, with some alleging that the B-2 deployment indicates the U.S. is soon to take action; however, these claims remain uncorroborated by any evidence. But Israel doesn’t have B-2s or MOPs and has contemplated commando raids but depends on the United States for Fordow.
The deployment adds to the already high tensions, and during this whole time, Trump’s decision is key. A military action would buy Iran years without the bomb, but it could destabilise the region. Talks offer only a faint prospect of progress against the backdrop of escalated hostilities.