Donald Trump authorized the use of twelve 30,000-pound “bunker buster” bombs and 30 Tomahawk missiles to destroy Iran’s top-secret Fordow nuclear facility and two other nuclear sites. According to Fox News’ Sean Hannity, Trump officials confirmed Fordow was “gone.” A U.S. military official said the site had been “taken off the table.”
The powerful GBU-57 bunker busters, capable of penetrating 200 feet underground, were dropped by B-2 stealth bombers—each costing over \$1 billion. “This was the first time the bomb had ever been deployed in battle,” the article states. The bomb uses sheer weight and kinetic force to reach deep targets before exploding.
The bombers flew from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, traveling 37 hours non-stop with refueling. Israel, whose earlier strikes weakened Iran’s air defenses, had requested U.S. help targeting Fordow.
Trump had previously hinted at a decision to strike Fordow. Iran warned of serious retaliation: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said U.S. actions could cause “irreparable damage,” and an Iranian spokesperson warned of “an all-out war in the region.”
Trump has been firm on stopping Iran’s nuclear ambitions, initially hoping threats alone would force them to back down.