President Donald Trump announced that the United States had carried out a successful strike on three Iranian nuclear facilities, including the deeply buried Fordow complex.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump revealed that six bunker-penetrating bombs—commonly referred to as “bunker busters”—were used to destroy the Fordow site. Additionally, 30 Tomahawk missiles were launched from U.S. submarines targeting facilities in Natanz and Isfahan.
The Iranian Atomic Energy Organization confirmed that all three sites had been hit.
Jonathan Ruhe, Director of Foreign Policy at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), explained that bunker-penetrating bombs are designed to pierce through layers of earth, rock, and concrete before detonating underground. Targets may be destroyed either by the direct explosion or by the collapse of the surrounding structure.
The United States possesses the GBU-57 A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), a 13-ton bomb developed during President George W. Bush’s administration specifically for targets such as Fordow. Given the depth of the Fordow facility—estimated between 60 and 90 meters underground, with some sources suggesting depths of up to 800 meters—and its location within a rocky mountain slope, it is likely that a “burrowing” technique was employed. This involves dropping several MOP bombs sequentially from a B-2 Spirit bomber to penetrate deeper into the earth.
Experts note that Fordow presents a unique challenge due to its narrow exit tunnels and the necessity for precise strike angles. The use of B-52 bombers was reportedly ruled out due to timing and operational constraints.
Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, stated, “Only the United States had the capability to destroy [Fordow] from the air.”
Jonathan Ruhe emphasized that the objective of such a strike may not necessarily be the complete destruction of a facility. Instead, it could involve disabling the power supply to centrifuges or contaminating the air within the complex to render operations impossible. He added that the United States and Israel may have differing goals regarding the outcome of such an attack—with the U.S. potentially aiming for total elimination of the threat, while Israel might be satisfied with delaying Iran’s nuclear program by a year or two.
Ruhe concluded by noting that while Fordow is a critical element, it is only one of several components that must be addressed in any effort to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran.