The Guardian: Trump did not approve the strike on Iran due to doubts about the effectiveness of the GBU-57 bomb
US President Donald Trump has suggested to the Defense Department that it would strike Iran only if the GBU-57 bomb is guaranteed to destroy the critical uranium enrichment facility at Fordow, sources told The Guardian .
Trump was told that the GBU-57 bomb (weighing 13.6 tons) would destroy the facility, but he, according to the interlocutor, was not completely convinced of this.
This is probably why the US president has not yet approved strikes on Iran.
The source also noted that Trump believes the threat of US intervention will push Iran to negotiate. The Pentagon also believes that only tactical nuclear weapons can destroy the Fordow facility, and Trump is not considering using them.
It is noted that the use of conventional bombs, even with several GBU-57s, will not allow them to reach deep enough underground, but will only collapse the tunnels at the facility and bury it under rubble.
To completely destroy Fordow, which Israeli intelligence estimates is located at a depth of up to 90 meters, the US would need to strike with conventional bombs and then drop a tactical nuclear bomb.
"This situation highlights the complex nature of such a strike and how successful it would be: dropping the GBU-57 would likely delay Iran's ability to obtain weapons-grade uranium for several years, but would not completely end the program," the journalists note.
- On June 17, Trump said he was demanding unconditional surrender from Iran and hinted at the possible elimination of the country's supreme leader.
- That same day, the NYT reported that Iran had prepared missiles and other military equipment to strike American bases in the region if US forces joined the fighting.
- On June 18, Khamenei threatened the US with "irreparable damage" if it joined the strikes on Iran.