The heavily guarded mysterious Fordow bunker is built into the side of a mountain near the city of Qom, around 60 miles of Tehran. It was first made public in 2009, according to officials
The world is nervously awaiting Donald Trump’s decision whether to strike Iran’s secretive nuclear bunker hidden in the mountains. The heavily guarded mysterious Fordow bunker is built into the side of a mountain near the city of Qom, around 60 miles of Tehran. It is believed to have started around 2006, but was first made public in 2009, according to officials.
It is a staggering 260ft under rock and soil, with the site said to be protected by Iranian and Russian surface-to-air missile systems. However, those air defences have likely already been struck by Israel during the conflict.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the goal of attacking Iran was to eliminate its missile and nuclear program, which he described as an existential threat to Israel, and officials have said Fordow was part of that plan.
“This entire operation … really has to be completed with the elimination of Fordo,” Yechiel Leiter, Israel’s ambassador to the US, said last Friday.
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Why is the Fordow nuclear bunker being targeted?
Fordow is Iran’s second nuclear enrichment facility after Natanz, its main facility, which has already been targeted by Israeli airstrikes. The International Atomic Energy Agency believes the strikes have had “direct impacts” on the facility’s underground centrifuge halls.
Fordo is smaller than Natanz, and is built into the side of a mountain near the city of Qom. Construction is believed to have started around 2006 and it became first operational in 2009 — the same year Tehran publicly acknowledged its existence.
In addition to being an estimated 260 feet under rock and soil, the site is reportedly protected by Iranian and Russian surface-to-air missile systems. Those air defences, however, likely have already been struck in the Israeli campaign.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the goal of attacking Iran was to eliminate its missile and nuclear program, which he described as an existential threat to Israel, and officials have said Fordo was part of that plan.
Why is Donald Trump waiting?
Reports claim Donald Trump has approved plans for a US attack on nuclear sites in Iran.
However, the president is holding off on plans for now in case Iran agrees to give up its nuclear programme, which it claims it is maintained for peaceful purposes.
Despite this, Iran also enriches uranium up to 60%, a short step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. Iran is the only non-nuclear-weapon state to enrich at that level.
Israel is the only nuclear-armed state in the Middle East but does not acknowledge having such weapons.
US officials said this week that President Donald Trump had rejected an Israeli plan to kill Khamenei. Trump later said there were no plans to kill him “at least not for now.”
The strikes came a day after Iran’s supreme leader rejected US calls for surrender and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause “irreparable damage to them.”
Does the US need to be involved?
At the moment, only the US has configured and programmed its B-2 Spirit stealth bomber to deliver the bomb, according to the Air Force. The B-2 is only flown by the Air Force, and is produced by Northrop Grumman.
According to the manufacturer, the B-2 can carry a payload of 40,000 pounds but the US Air Force has said it has successfully tested the B-2 loaded with two GBU-57 A/B bunker busters — a total weight of some 60,000 pounds.
The strategic long-range heavy bomber has a range of about 7,000 miles without refueling and 11,500 miles with one refueling, and can reach any point in the world within hours, according to Northrop Grumman.