Latest news with #GBU-37
Indian Express
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
400kg of uranium missing after US strike on Iranian nuclear sites, JD Vance confirms
A 400kg stockpile of uranium—enough to build up to 10 nuclear weapons—is unaccounted for following last week's US airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities, United States Vice President JD Vance told ABC News. The uranium, enriched to 60 per cent, was stored across Iran's key sites and is now believed to have been moved ahead of the strike. During the conversation, Vance said that he thought the Iranian nuclear sites were 'severely damaged or obliterated', but added he was 'not exactly sure'. Vance said the Trump administration will engage with Iran in the coming weeks regarding the 900 pounds (approximately 400kg) of highly enriched uranium that went missing after last week's US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. Speaking to ABC News, Vance said, 'We're going to work in the coming weeks to ensure that we do something with that fuel, and that's one of the things that we're going to have conversations with the Iranians about.' He confirmed that the key objective of the operation was to target the Fordow nuclear facility. 'That was the objective of the mission, to destroy that Fordow nuclear site and, of course, do some damage to the other sites as well. But we feel very confident that the Fordow nuclear site was substantially set back, and that was our goal,' Vance told the broadcaster. Enrichment to 60 per cent brings the uranium close to weapons-grade, which is around 90 per cent. While it isn't currently usable in a nuclear bomb, analysts say it represents a powerful bargaining chip for Iran if or when nuclear deal talks with the US resume. Israeli officials told The New York Times that Iran may have moved the uranium stockpile and equipment to a secret location before the attack. Satellite images taken before the US strikes showed a convoy of 16 trucks outside the Fordow nuclear facility, a heavily fortified site built inside a mountain and considered nearly immune to missile attacks. Those images led Israel to push for US support. The United States responded by deploying B-2 Spirit bombers armed with GBU-37 'bunker buster' bombs, which were dropped on Sunday morning on Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. Post-strike satellite photos showed significant damage to all three facilities, but the trucks had vanished. It remains unclear what was moved and where, but US and Israeli intelligence believe the uranium and key research materials were relocated to another underground facility near Isfahan, Iran's ancient capital. Rafael Grossi, the chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), confirmed that the agency last inspected the site a week before the strikes. Grossi has called for inspections to resume immediately, warning the UN Security Council that continued military escalation threatens diplomatic solutions. 'It is essential the IAEA resumes inspections as soon as possible,' Grossi said. 'This indispensable work must not be delayed.' Iran has repeatedly claimed its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, but Israel has long argued otherwise. Tel Aviv warned that Tehran was nearing a 'point of no return' and could soon assemble a nuclear weapon. Following the attacks, Iran threatened to withdraw from the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Deputy Foreign Minister Takht Ravanchi dismissed speculation that the program was abandoned, saying, 'No one can tell us what to do…' The US narrative has been less consistent. A CNN report following Israel's first wave of missile strikes said US intelligence assessed Iran was not actively building a nuclear bomb and was still about three years away from having one. The strikes, according to CNN sources, only set Iran's program back by a few months. However, Tulsi Gabbard, the US Director of National Intelligence, reversed her earlier assessment in which she told Congress Iran wasn't pursuing weapons. On Saturday, she said Iran could produce nuclear weapons 'within weeks,' a shift that followed President Donald Trump calling her initial assessment 'wrong.' Trump had given Iran a two-week deadline to sign a new nuclear safeguard deal, but acted earlier after intelligence confirmed Israel could not neutralise the facilities without US military support. 'We're not involved in it (but) it's possible we could…' Trump told ABC Sunday morning, just hours before the US strike, urging Iran and Israel to 'reach an accord before it is too late.' After the mission, Trump declared the operation a success. 'Iran's nuclear program has been completely and totally obliterated,' he said, referring to the 'bunker busters' and a barrage of Tomahawk missiles used as decoys in what was dubbed Op Midnight Hammer—a 37-hour operation led by seven B-2 bombers flying radio silent from Missouri.
Time of India
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
US–Israel bombed the nuclear sites, but not the nuclear threat: Iran still holds 400kg of enriched Uranium, enough to make 10 N-bombs
What happened during the strikes? Live Events Where did the Uranium go? IAEA confirms last inspection was days before attack Trump declares victory. But confusion follows Is Iran still pursuing nuclear weapons? Experts warn threat is not over Washington admits uncertainty (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The US says it destroyed Iran's key nuclear sites last week. But 400kg of enriched uranium—enough to build up to ten atomic bombs—is still unaccounted President JD Vance confirmed the missing material during an interview with ABC News, saying the administration 'would work in the coming weeks to do something about the fuel and would have conversations with the Iranians.'That fuel is enriched to 60%. It only takes enrichment to 90% to make a the heart of the operation were six bunker-busting bombs , dropped by US B-2 Spirit bombers on three nuclear sites: Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. The attack came after satellite images showed a line of 16 trucks outside Fordow—a site built deep inside a mountain and resistant to most conventional requested Washington use its most advanced bombers and GBU-37 bunker-buster strikes reportedly caused 'severe damage and destruction,' according to US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chair Gen Dan later said on Truth Social: 'We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran… A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home… NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE!'That's the question no one can answer. Post-strike satellite images showed the trucks were officials believe Iran managed to move the stockpile, and possibly some centrifuges, just before the attack. They shared this view with The New York Shine, a former Iran expert at Mossad, told the Financial Times: 'They have enough enriched uranium somewhere, and they took some advanced centrifuges somewhere, in order to enable them to some day go to a nuclear device… The programme is not destroyed completely, no matter what the Americans say.'TS2 Space, a Polish defence firm, reviewed satellite images and said Iran appeared to be shifting critical materials. The Open Source Centre in London also confirmed visual evidence of frantic movement days before the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it last saw the stockpile a week before Israel's first Director-General, Rafael Grossi, addressed the UN Security Council and called for inspections to resume immediately. 'It is essential,' he said. He warned military escalation 'delays this indispensable work' and harms chances of a diplomatic Davenport, of the Arms Control Association, told AFP: 'It will be difficult if not impossible to track down all of Iran's 60 per cent enriched uranium, stored in small canisters that are easily transportable by car.'Hours after the strike, Trump told ABC News: 'We're not involved in it (but) it's possible we could…' and urged both Iran and Israel to 'reach an accord before it is too late.'Afterwards, he announced a 'total and complete' ceasefire and declared the 12-day conflict the US intelligence community has since shown signs of Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence, had told Congress earlier that Iran was not building nuclear weapons. But on Saturday, she reversed her position, saying Iran could produce them 'within weeks.' Trump had called her previous assessment 'wrong.'Tehran insists its nuclear programme is peaceful. But Israel claims otherwise, saying Iran was nearing a 'point of no return.'After the strikes, Iran threatened to leave the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Deputy Foreign Minister Takht Ravanchi was defiant: 'No one can tell us what to do…'A CNN report noted that Israel's first strikes likely only delayed Iran's nuclear programme by a few months. The deeper parts of the programme, particularly those buried under mountains like at Fordow, were not seriously a senior official told CNN that 'Tehran does have all the necessary ingredients.'Ronen Solomon, an Israeli intelligence analyst, told The Telegraph: 'They have the uranium, but they can't do a lot with it unless they have built something we don't know about on a small scale.'But many experts remain cautious. 'With 60 per cent enriched uranium and a few hundred advanced centrifuges, Iran still has the capability to weaponise,' said Kelsey Nephew, a former US official on Iran policy, told Financial Times: 'It comes down to the material and where it is. On the basis of what we've seen at this point, we don't know where the material is. We don't have any real confidence that we've got the ability to get it any time soon.'US Secretary of State Marco Rubio admitted to CBS News, 'No one will know for sure for days' whether Iran managed to move the added, 'I doubt they moved it because you really can't move anything right now. The minute a truck starts driving somewhere, the Israelis have seen it, and they've targeted it and taken it out.'But this contradicts what satellite images and intelligence officials President JD Vance told ABC News that 'if the Iranians decide to expand this, then that's ultimately their decision. And the president of the United States will respond in kind.' He also stressed that Trump does not want 'a drawn-out conflict in the Middle East.'But the fact remains: Iran's uranium stockpile is while bombs have fallen, and statements made, one uncomfortable truth most dangerous material in this crisis may still be out there—just hidden from view.
International Business Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- International Business Times
What Are Bunker Busters? 15-Ton GBU-57A/B Bomb that Cost $500 Is the Only Weapon that Could Destroy Fordow Nuclear Facility
A 15-ton "bunker buster" bomb was likely needed to destroy Iran's final remaining nuclear facility — a weapon only the United States possesses. The extremely powerful weapon is the largest conventional (non-nuclear) bomb in the U.S. military's arsenal. The bomb was necessary because the target — the Fordow uranium enrichment plant — is buried roughly 300 feet deep within a mountain near the city of Qom, about two hours south of Tehran. The bomb, known as the GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator, was developed by Boeing specifically for use by the U.S. Air Force. The United States dropped six such "bunker bombs" which Trump said, "completely and totally obliterated" the highly secretive nuclear facility. Only in US Arsenal Due to its massive weight, the bomb can only be deployed by a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber — an advanced aircraft that is not part of Israel's air force arsenal. "The United States controls the bomber and the bomb," John Spencer, chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point military academy, recently told The New York Post. The missile cost the U.S. Army more than $500 million to develop and was specifically engineered to burrow deep into the Fordow facility to destroy its nuclear centrifuges, according to a 2013 report by The Wall Street Journal. At the time, the report noted that 20 of these bombs had been produced for the U.S. military. Another variant of a "bunker buster" is the GBU-37, which weighs 5,000 pounds. While the U.S. has provided Israel with less powerful bunker-busting munitions, it has refused to share the Massive Ordnance Penetrator with any allied nation. "I've seen 500-pounders, and they'll shake your teeth when they go off. It's like an earthquake," said Spencer. "This will be much more than that." Trump Bombers Do the Talking Trump stunned the world just before 8 p.m. on Saturday by revealing on Truth Social that he had authorized a strike on Iran. "We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. All planes are now outside of Iran air space," Trump posted on Truth Social, marking the first-ever US strike on Iranian territory. "A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter." At 10 p.m. on Saturday, the president addressed the nation from the White House, saying that the mission that "our objective was the destruction of Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world's number one state sponsor of terror." "Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success," Trump said, flanked by Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. "Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier." Trump went on to say that "for 40 years, Iran has been saying, 'Death to America, Death to Israel.' They have been killing our people, blowing off their arms, blowing off their legs with roadside bombs — that was their specialty. Trump said he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "worked as a team, like perhaps no team has ever worked before," in their efforts to dismantle Iran's nuclear program.
New York Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
What are bunker busters: Everything to know about the $500M bombs
A 15-ton 'bunker buster' bomb was likely needed to destroy the last untouched nuclear facility in Iran, and only the US had one. Such a powerful weapon — the largest non-nuclear bomb in the US arsenal — was needed because the target, the Fordow fuel enrichment plant, is built some 300 feet inside a mountain near the city of Qom, two hours south of Tehran. The heavyweight explosive is known as a GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator and was designed by Boeing for the United States Air Force. Advertisement 4 A satellite image of Iran's Fordow uranium enrichment facility on Feb. 12, 2025. Satellite image ©2025 Maxar Technologies/AFP via Getty Images Its huge weight means it can only be delivered with a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber — a jet that Israel's air force does not possess. 'The United States controls the bomber and the bomb,' John Spencer, chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point military academy, recently told The Post. Advertisement The missile cost over $500 million for the US Army to develop, and was built to specifications that would allow it to penetrate deep enough into the Fordow plant to destroy the nuclear centrifuges in the complex, according to a 2013 Wall Street Journal report, which said at that time 20 of the bombs had been manufactured for the US military. A different type of 'bunker buster' bomb is the 5,000-pound GBU-37. 4 Merrill Sherman / NY Post Design Read the latest on the US bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities: Advertisement 'By weight and kinetic force, the GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator is designed to penetrate a certain amount of distance into the ground before it blows,' said Spencer. 'That's why these bunker busters are called Penetrators. They penetrate the ground before they explode. The explosion is strategically delayed.' 4 President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance watch the strike from the White House Situation Room on June 21, 2025. The White House/ X 4 A US Air Force B-2 Spirit bomber. via REUTERS Advertisement Although the US has sold less powerful bunker buster weapons to Israel, it has declined to share the Massive Ordnance Penetrator with any of its allies. 'I've seen 500-pounders, and they'll shake your teeth when they go off. It's like an earthquake,' said Spencer. 'This will be much more than that.'
