'No certainty': Ex-CIA station chief on whether bunker-buster bomb can destroy Iran's Fordown Plant
Trump apparently told his aides that US would strike Iran only if bunk buster bomb can destroy Iran's nuclear plant.
Former CIA station chief Dan Hoffman said the Israel-Iran war is going to be one of the most consequential moments of Donald Trump's presidency as the president is weighing whether to join Israel in its attack on Iran.
Trump has given two weeks to decide of US's direct involvement in the Middle-East crisis, as the room for negotiation remains open.
According to reports, Israel wants US to drop its 30000-pound bunker buster bombs on Iran's Fordown Fuel Enrichment Plant which is believed to be central to Tehran's nuclear program. US is the only country that has these bombs which are believed to be the only weapon capable of destroying the plant carved deep into a mountain.
'Bunker buster' is a general term for bombs designed to destroy targets located deep underground that conventional bombs cannot reach.
Hoffman said on Fox News there is no certainty that a bunker bomb would destroy the plant. "The day after, what happens with Iran? Do they double down on their relationships with China, and with North Korea, and Russia to try to stay in power and rebuild a nuclear program? The day after is also critically important," Hoffman said.
The US military's most powerful bunker buster is the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator. It weighs about 30000 pounds, including a 6000-pound warhead. It can penetrate up to 200 feet underground before exploding.
The B-2 Spirit, a US stealth bomber, is currently the only aircraft designed to deploy the GBU-57 and can carry two bunker buster bombs at a time. The US Air Force says multiple bombs can be dropped sequentially, either by the same aircraft or by several, allowing each strike to burrow deeper, amplifying the overall impact.
According to reports, Trump suggested to defense officials that it would make sense for the US to launch strikes against Iran only of the bunker buster bomb was guaranteed to destroy the plant.
The bomb has never been used in combat and remains exclusive to the US military. Only the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber — also operated solely by the US is capable of delivering it. These bombers are stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri and would need about 15 hours to reach Iran if deployed
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