US B-2 stealth bombers, GBU-57 bunker buster bombs, Tomahawks, and bases behind the strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities
The United States launched one of the most audacious airstrikes in recent history in the early hours of June 22, targeting three of Iran's most fortified nuclear facilities, Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
The operation was spearheaded by the
US Air Force
's elite B-2 Spirit stealth bombers and supported by submarine-launched Tomahawk cruise missiles, in a campaign aimed at destroying Iran's nuclear capabilities.
President
Donald Trump
, addressing the nation hours after the strike, declared: 'Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home.'
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The weapons used
At the centre of the operation were the B-2 Spirit bombers. Stealthy and silent, the B-2 is one of the most advanced aircraft in the world, capable of penetrating the most sophisticated air defenses without being detected. Less than two dozen bombers were ever built, each costing over $2 billion.
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What made this mission historic was the payload, the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP). Weighing 30,000 pounds, the MOP is the most powerful non-nuclear bomb in the US arsenal.
It is designed specifically to destroy deeply buried bunkers like the Fordow facility, which lies beneath a mountain.
Each B-2 can carry two MOPs. Trump confirmed five or six were dropped on Fordow, while 30 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAMs) were fired at the Natanz and Isfahan sites.
Launched from the Pacific air base
Several B-2 bombers were tracked moving west over the Pacific. By June 21, they were confirmed to be deployed at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, a key US outpost roughly 6,000 miles from Iran. It is from here that the US stages its long-range deterrence operations.
In sync with Israel
The attack was coordinated with Israel, which had already dismantled much of Iran's air defense network, leading up to the US strike through 'Operation Rising Lion.' However, Israel lacked the bunker-busting capacity required for Fordow, prompting its request for American assistance.
Republican leaders in Washington praised the mission. Senator Roger Wicker called it 'the correct decision to strike Iran's nuclear sites,' asserting that 'Iran made the choice to continue its pursuit of a nuclear weapon and would only be stopped by force.'
But criticism came swiftly from Democrats. Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va) warned that 'the American public is overwhelmingly opposed to the US waging war on Iran' and accused Trump of 'recklessly' bypassing congressional authority.
Further escalation?
With Iran yet to officially respond, tensions remain dangerously high. The Pentagon has since moved larger aircraft out of Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar and placed regional forces on high alert, anticipating potential retaliation from Iran or its proxies.
Trump, however, issued a stern warning in his address: 'There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed.'
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