Meet the MOP… the 15-ton mega bunker buster bomb Trump will use to blow up Iran's ‘Mount Doom' nuke site if US joins war
A FEARSOME 15-ton mega bomb could soon be dropped to destroy Iran's most secure underground nuke facility as the US prepares to join the war.
Donald Trump is
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B-2 Spirit drops a GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bomb
Credit: USAF
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The US Air Force airmen look at a GBU-57 at Whiteman Air Base in Missouri
Credit: AP
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His statements yesterday, along with America's military movements, give us the clearest sign that the US is preparing to get involved in the Middle East.
Israel said its
At the heart of its nuclear program is the
Israel's
arsenal
lacks huge bunker buster bombs needed to destroy the underground enrichment facility.
Only America currently has the fearsome GBU-57 bombs capable of blitzing Fordow.
It's a Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bomb that can penetrate deep inside the ground before blowing up.
The 15-tonne 20-foot monster bomb then explodes to obliterate enemy targets that are often hidden beneath mountains and massive layers of rocks.
Its 30,000lb weight means that its sheer kinetic force enables it to reach deeply buried targets - almost 200ft beneath the surface.
Most read in The US Sun
It also means only the B-2 strategic bombers currently in the US fleet are capable of dropping them.
Multiple
strikes
would still be needed to reach the fortified underground laboratories of Fordow, packed with centrifuge technology at the heart of Iran's Doomsday programme.
DOZENS of US Air Force refuelling jets have swooped into bases across Europe in a major show of force, fuelling fears they could enter the war with Iran
Defence Analyst Paul Beaver told The Sun: '
'It's protected by at least 90 metres of solid rock and has so far escaped serious damage.
'Options are to repeatedly bomb it for weeks until a breakthrough is achieved or a
frontline
is hit."
Israel
needs the US help to bomb Fordow, which is protected by troops and banks of Russian S-300 anti-aircraft missile batteries.
President Trump is understood to have offered the crucial strike option in a conversation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before Rising Lion was launched.
And as Washington prepares to join the war against
Iran
, a B-2 bomber strike using the GBU-57 is more likely than ever.
Bunker buster air strikes have hammered key uranium enrichment and conversion sites in Natanz and Isfahan, atomic
energy
watchdogs have confirmed.
Israeli officials admitted that
Will Trump strike Iran?
By Sayan Bose, Foreign News Reporter
DONALD Trump is all but poised to join Israel's campaign of bombing Iran as they both seek to obliterate Tehran's nuclear program.
It comes as Tel Aviv has been carrying out air strikes targeting various nuclear and military facilities in Tehran and other parts of Iran.
The goal, as they say, is to thwart the Iranian regime's efforts to produce nuclear weapons.
The Trump administration previously said it had no plans to join the conflict.
However, winds in Washington began blowing the other way after Trump cut short his G7 visit in Canada and said he needed to focus on the Middle East.
And has repeatedly insisted it was not to pursue peace talks with Iran "in any way, shape or form" - a stark shift in his previous policy of striking up a nuclear deal.
Don also went on to share a slew of posts on Truth Social suggesting he may be considering strikes against Iran.
He wrote: "Our patience is wearing thin," before calling out Tehran for an unconditional surrender.
Trump also called for an emergency situation room meeting yesterday with his top Washington aides, though details of those meetings have not yet been revealed.
But Trump's statements, coupled with America's military movements, suggest the US forces may soon strike Iran.
As Trump rushed back meet his National Security Council, he vowed he was chasing something "better than a ceasefire", which will force Iran into a "complete give up".
He refused to specify the endgame, but ominously warned: "You're going to find out over the next two days."
A spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry said that a US intervention in the Middle East would be "a recipe for all-out war in the region.
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Iran's ballistic missiles are seen heading towards Tel Aviv
Credit: Getty
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Iran State Radio and Television (IRIB) building was smoking after a direct Israeli strike
Credit: REXNEWS
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Trump gestures after returning early from the G7 Leaders' Summit in Canada
Credit: Reuters
Meanwhile, the
US military
is deploying more fighter aircraft to the Middle East and extending the deployment of other warplanes as the war between
Israel
and Iran rages.
The
Pentagon
scrambled at least a dozen F-22 and F-35 fighter bombers to reinforce troops in
Europe
and the Middle East.
Experts said the F-22s and F-35s would most likely be used to bolster Israel's air defence amid fears Tel Aviv could run low on its Iron Dome and interceptor missiles - the Arrow and THAAD.
At least 30 large air-to-air refuellers swooped across the Atlantic this week followed by at least a dozen F-22 Raptors and F-35
Lightning
jets.
The USS Nimitz aircraft carrier is also
The hulking $4.5billion nuclear-powered supercarrier, nicknamed Old Salt, is the flagship of the deadly Carrier Strike Group 11.
The strike group includes Carrier Air Wing Seventeen and Destroyer Squadron Nine - a potent combination of military hardware that will strike fear into Iran.
Dozens of USAF KC-135 Stratotanker refuelers and KC-46 Pegagus tankers swooped into bases in Prestwick, Scotland, Ramstein, Germany, Moron in Spain and Chania in Crete.
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The KC-135s and KC-46s are designed to refuel fighter jets so they can stay airborne for longer and fly further to hit targets.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said he had ordered 'the deployment of additional capabilities' to the Middle East amid spiralling fears of World War Three.
But he insisted their role was 'defensive'.
Trump has also
The US President has already warned the "full strength and might" of the military would be used if America was attacked.
He has also urged Tehran to evacuate "everyone".
Israel's ambassador also hinted at something big on the horizon - promising lethal "surprises" on Thursday that would dwarf its operations to date.
Read more on the Irish Sun
As Trump rushed back to meet his National Security Council, he vowed he was chasing something "better than a ceasefire", which will force Iran into a "complete give up".
He refused to specify the endgame, but ominously warned: "You're going to find out over the
next
two days."
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Footage shows one of the four KC-135 Stratotankers landing at Glasgow Prestwick Airport on Monday
Credit: YouTube/Daniel Sander
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The Pegasus jets and Stratotankers are designed to refuel fighter jets in mid-air
Credit: Jordan Castelan
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