Putin says Israel assures safety at Russian-built Iranian nuclear site
NewsFeed Putin says Israel assures safety at Russian-built Iranian nuclear site
Russian President Vladimir Putin says Israel has given assurances about the safety of its personnel at Iran's Russian-built nuclear power plant in Bushehr. Russia and Iran have been working on the joint project for three decades. He made the comments at a meeting with foreign press.
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Al Jazeera
25 minutes ago
- Al Jazeera
Why Israel wants US bunker busters to hit Iran's Fordow nuclear site
US President Donald Trump says he is still weighing his options regarding United States military intervention amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran. Standing on the South Lawn of the White House on Wednesday, Trump said, 'The next week is going to be big,' adding that Iranian officials are eager to negotiate. However, he warned them that 'it's very late to be talking,' after they reached out to him. Officials and experts have suggested that the US's 30,000-pound (13,000kg) bunker buster bomb is the only weapon capable of destroying the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, a facility believed to be central to Tehran's nuclear programme and carved deep into a mountain. The United States is the only country to possess these bombs, which it delivers using B-2 bombers. If deployed against Iran, it would represent a major shift from primarily intercepting missiles on Israel's behalf to conducting active offensive strikes against Iran. 'Bunker buster' is a general term for bombs designed to destroy targets located deep underground that conventional bombs cannot reach. The US military's most powerful bunker buster is the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator. Weighing about 30,000 pounds (13,600 kg), including a 2,700kg (6,000-pound) warhead, this precision-guided bomb is made of high-strength steel and built to penetrate up to 200 feet (61 metres) 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. Israel also operates US-made bunker busters, including the GBU-28 and BLU-109, which are typically dropped from fighter jets such as the F-15. These weapons, however, have a much shallower penetration range and are not capable of reaching extreme depths of fortified sites like Iran's Fordow nuclear facility. In 2024, Israel reportedly used successive BLU-109 bombs to kill Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in his underground headquarters in Beirut. Iran's Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, located about 95km (60 miles) southwest of Tehran, is built into the side of a mountain, reportedly up to 80-90 metres (260-300 feet) underground, to survive air strikes and bunker buster attacks. Construction of the Fordow facility is believed to have begun in about 2006, and it became operational in 2009, the same year Iran officially acknowledged it. Under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, Iran agreed to halt enrichment at Fordow and convert the site into a research centre. However, after the US withdrew from the agreement in 2018, Iran resumed uranium enrichment at the facility. Iran has insisted its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes. Fordow is reportedly defended by Iranian and Russian surface-to-air missile systems, though those defences may have already been targeted in Israel's ongoing strikes. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has framed the campaign as a mission to dismantle Iran's missile and nuclear capabilities, describing them as an existential threat. Officials have confirmed that Fordow is a key target. 'This entire operation … really has to be completed with the elimination of Fordow,' said Yechiel Leiter, Israel's ambassador to the United States, in an interview with Fox News. Israel is believed to have destroyed the above-ground section of Iran's uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, the country's largest nuclear site. According to the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the resulting power loss may have also caused damage to the underground enrichment halls at the facility. Before and after satellite imagery reveals the extent of the damage at attacks have also damaged the Isfahan enrichment facility in central Monday, Rafael Grossi, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog, said there was a possibility of both radiological and chemical contamination from the damaged Natanz site. Speaking at an emergency IAEA session in Vienna, Grossi said radiation levels remain normal outside Iran's Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites, both of which were hit in Israeli strikes. However, he warned that ongoing military escalation increases the risk of a radiological release. Fordow is located about 32 kilometres (20 miles) south of the city of Qom, Iran's seventh-largest city with a population of some 1.4 million and a major religious and political centre.
Al Jazeera
7 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Putin says Israel assures safety at Russian-built Iranian nuclear site
NewsFeed Putin says Israel assures safety at Russian-built Iranian nuclear site Russian President Vladimir Putin says Israel has given assurances about the safety of its personnel at Iran's Russian-built nuclear power plant in Bushehr. Russia and Iran have been working on the joint project for three decades. He made the comments at a meeting with foreign press.
Al Jazeera
8 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
LIVE: Israel attacks Iran security agency; Trump mulls joining conflict
Israel says it's destroyed Iran's internal security headquarters in Tehran, as Iran fires more missiles towards Israeli President Donald Trump says he's still weighing his options on US military intervention in the escalating Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Iran won't accept 'imposed war', and warns the US that any strikes on its territory will have 'serious irreparable consequences'.The death toll from Israel's attacks on Iran has risen to more than 240, including 70 women and children. At least 24 people have been killed in Iranian attacks on war on Gaza has killed at least 55,493 people and wounded 129,320, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7 attacks and more than 200 were taken captive. Update: Date: 3m ago (00:07 GMT) Title: WATCH: UN chief urges 'immediate' ceasefire in Israel-Iran war Content: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said he is 'profoundly alarmed' by developments in the unfolding conflict between Israel and Iran and called for 'immediate deescalation leading to a ceasefire'. In a statement read by his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric on Wednesday, Guterres urged restraint and diplomacy as he warned against any 'additional military interventions'. Watch below: This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. End of dialog window. This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button. Update: Date: 7m ago (00:03 GMT) Title: A recap of recent developments Content: Update: Date: 10m ago (00:00 GMT) Title: Welcome to our live coverage Content: Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the conflict between Israel and Iran, as well as Israel's war on Gaza. Stay with us for the latest developments, reactions and analyses. You can find all our updates from Wednesday, June 18, here.
