Donald Trump mobilises B-2 stealth bombers to Guam as Iran strikes edge closer
US President Donald Trump's administration has ordered the deployment of B-2 bombers to their air force base in Guam in a clear sign that they are preparing to launch bombing raids on suspected Iranian nuclear weapon development sites.
The B-2 bombers are used to deliver a range of bunker-busting bombs, including the 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator which has been designed to go after secret installations deep beneath the surface.
US officials continue to claim Iran is close to completing its goal of an armed nuclear weapon, and President Trump has issued several warnings in the last week, ordering them to cease all development efforts and come back to the negotiation table.
The B-2 bombers have been tracked heading to the US facility in Guam in the Pacific Ocean. They could easily be deployed for a strike on the Iranian valley in Fordo where the nuclear weapon sites are situated.
Two US officials have confirmed the move to Reuters, who said they were speaking on the condition of anonymity and said no forward orders had been given to move the bombers beyond Guam.
The military base of the Indian Ocean base in Diego Garcia could be the next stop for the B-2 bombers if the US were to order a strike on Iran and had previously been based there before being replaced by a fleet of B-52 bombers last month..
The MOP bombs are the heaviest conventional weapons the US armed services have in their arsenal and is designed for specific targets deep below the surface.
If the B-2 bombers were to drop the MOP bomb it can penetrate up to 60m underground but need to massive B-2 bomber to guide it to its destination.
There are 19 operational B-2s, that can travel at subsonic speeds and are capable of midair refuelling and recent upgrades to the MOP included resolving an undescribed 'integration issue' with the B-2, the US Air Force said last year.
The service also said it is testing technology that can help destroy targets where intelligence about substructures may be limited. A smart fuse on the MOP can detect voids on its path downward, such as rooms and floors, and explode at an optimal point, Ball said.
That would be an important capability if commanders decided they needed to strike the same deep target multiple times. It is unclear whether that technology has been put into operational use.
More to come...
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Sky News AU
13 minutes ago
- Sky News AU
Former prime minister Scott Morrison backs US strikes on Iran, slams Albanese government's ‘ambiguity'
Former prime minister Scott Morrison has thrown his support behind US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, calling the operation a "necessary event". US President Donald Trump ordered strikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities on Sunday (Australian time), escalating the Middle East conflict to new heights. Mr Morrison told Sky News on Sunday that the strikes would help to bring peace, and accused the Albanese government of failing to take a clear stance on the conflict. 'This was a necessary event. There were no other options available to the president,' Mr Morrison said. 'This has been the most decisive and the most comprehensive action to terminate that threat.' The former prime minister also criticised the Albanese government for its unclear position on the Iran-Israel conflict. 'It's time for some clarity. I think there's been far too much ambiguity about this from Australia, far too much ambiguity, and it's time for clarity.' Defence Minister Richard Marles earlier had refused to directly back possible US strikes and instead reiterated the government's call for 'de-escalation'. Pressed on whether Australia supported the bombing of Iranian nuclear sites, Mr Marles repeatedly avoided a direct answer. 'Uh, uh. Um, I'm... articulating the Australian government's position. That's the only thing I can articulate.' 'We have used our voice to urge de-escalation. And that's our position in respect of both the Iranian program, but also… in respect of this conflict,' he said. While acknowledging that Iran's nuclear ambitions were 'concerning' and 'a threat to peace and stability,' Mr Marles declined to endorse any US military response. The exchange followed Foreign Minister Penny Wong's shifting position on Australia's attitude toward the Israel-Iran conflict. The government has faced criticism in recent weeks for its slow and cautious responses to Iranian aggression and its measured language toward Israel. Shadow energy minister Dan Tehan told Sky News Sunday Agenda that the Albanese government has 'isolated themselves' from the Israeli government. 'I think that has left them in a situation where they're really trying to walk two sides here,' Mr Tehan said. 'I think what we need to see from the government is greater moral clarity as to whether they do, once and for all, want to see Iran rid of its nuclear weapons program.' Liberal Senator and former ambassador to Israel Dave Sharma recently criticised Ms Wong for initially calling for de-escalation and diplomacy. 'Part of the reason for this war is the failure of dialogue… there have been multiple rounds of negotiations held with Iran,' Mr Sharma told Sky News. 'I don't see much prospect for dialogue.' The US strikes on Sunday targeted Iran's key nuclear sites at Natanz, Esfahan, and Fordow. President Trump confirmed the operation involved B-2 bombers, with six bunker-buster bombs used to destroy facilities buried deep in the mountains. 'Fordow is gone… Iran must now agree to end this war,' President Trump posted on Truth Social. Mr Morrison praised the US response as a proportionate show of strength after all diplomatic avenues had failed. 'This is not something that I believe (Trump) wants to see widened. But this hopefully resolves that question of their nuclear capability,' he said. The Albanese government has yet to formally comment on the US operation. Sky News has contacted the Defence Minister for comment.
News.com.au
15 minutes ago
- News.com.au
‘Gone': US move stopped world in its tracks
The United States has joined Israel's war against Iran, with President Donald Trump announcing American warplanes had dropped bombs on three nuclear sites in Iran. The three sites that were hit included Iran's mountain facility at Fordo, the heavily fortified underground facility in Iran that is critical to its nuclear program, and a larger plant at Natanz, which had already been targeted by Iran. The third site was at Isfahan, which is where Iran is believed to keep its near-bomb-grade enriched uranium. 'A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow,' Mr Trump announced on social media. Later in a speech at the White House, Mr Trump said the attack's objective was 'the destruction of Iran's nuclear enrichment capability and a stop to the world's number one state sponsor of terror'. 'I can report to the world the strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated,' he said. 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US security analyst Mike Lyons told the ABC News the attack on Fordow meant Iran's nuclear program was now crippled and its uranium 'enrichment program is over, that they won't have any capability to create a weaponised nuclear bomb'. Israel had claimed Iran was rapidly nearing the capability of creating nuclear weapons, which Iran had denied alleging it was for a peaceful purposes such as a civilian power program. The US intelligence community has determined Iran's leaders were not actively pursuing a nuclear weapon, but did describe its uranium stockpile as unprecedented. CBS news is also reporting that the US had reached out to Iran diplomatically on Saturday to indicate the strikes on nuclear facilities is the only attack planned by Washington and it wasn't seeking to force a regime change. Mr Trump 'continues to hold out hope that diplomacy will now be able to proceed', according to CNN network's sources. 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7NEWS
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US president Donald Trump addresses the world after Iranian strikes
US president Donald Trump will shortly be addressing the world after confirming American forces have completed strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites. Trump announced the US had executed three 'very successful attacks' on the sites at Fordow, Natanz and Esfahan. The announcement was shortly after confirmed in a statement from the White House on Saturday local time. Trump addressed the nation from the White House at 10pm local time, saying that strikes were carried out on three key nuclear facilities, calling the mission a 'spectacular success'. Strikes had 'completely and totally obliterated' the Iranian nuclear facilities, Trump said. Trump called Iran the 'bully of the Middle East,' saying they must now make peace. 'If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier,' he said. 'For 40 years, Iran has been saying, 'Death to America, death to Israel.' 'They've been killing our people, blowing off their arms, blowing off their legs with roadside bombs.'
