Latest news with #GBU-57A
News18
28-06-2025
- Politics
- News18
New Satellite Images Show Possible Repair Work At Iran's Fordow Nuclear Site After US Strikes
Last Updated: Fordow was one of the three key nuclear sites hit by the US military with the use of powerful GBU-57A "bunker-busting bombs" on June 21. After the US launched massive strikes at three Iranian nuclear sites last weekend, new satellite images have surfaced showing construction equipment, indicating possible repair work underway and efforts to dig out new access paths. The images by the US commercial satellite imaging company Maxar Technologies, which were obtained by Business Insider, showed new activity near the tunnel entrances, as well as the points where heavy US bombs struck Fordow over the weekend. One of the images showed excavators and bulldozers apparently moving dirt near craters and holes on the northern mountain ridge at Fordow. Other images showed construction equipment digging new roads to the facility, while engaging in efforts to repair damage on the main access road. The work indicates that Iran is possibly attempting to restore access to the underground site in order to assess the condition of it and its equipment, although US President Donald Trump has warned further strikes if Iran continues with its nuclear programme. 🔴🔴 Construction vehicles spotted on satellite images at Fordow nuclear facility — Conflict Radar (@Conflict_Radar) June 27, 2025 Fordow was one of the three key nuclear sites hit by the US military with the use of powerful GBU-57A 'bunker-busting bombs". The US used six B-12 bombers to use a dozen GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bombs in its strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. The Fordow nuclear site is an underground nuclear facility in Iran that is buried deep in the mountains, supposedly out of reach of Israeli missiles. The 13,600-kg US 'bunker-busting" bomb was the only munition capable of striking Fordow. Israel had appealed to the US to use the munitions. Rafael Grossi, the head of the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said centrifuges at the Fordow uranium enrichment plant in Iran are 'no longer operational" after the US attack. However, he said it would be 'too much" to assert that Iran's nuclear programme had been 'wiped out" after the Israeli and American bombing campaign, reported The New York Times. Iran has also acknowledged that its nuclear sites suffered 'extensive and serious" damage as a result of the US and Israeli bombing campaign. However, a CNN report cited a classified Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) assessment suggesting that the strikes only set Iran's nuclear program back by a few months, rather than destroying it, which came under heavy backlash by the White House. Location : Tehran, Iran
India Gazette
23-06-2025
- Business
- India Gazette
India can play proactive role in stopping Iran-Israel war, says West Asia strategist Awwad
New Delhi [India], June 23 (ANI): West Asia expert and veteran journalist Waiel Awwad on Sunday said that India can play a proactive role in stopping the ongoing war between Iran and Israel. While speaking to ANI about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Awwad emphasised that India should leverage its position to de-escalate tensions in the region. '...Prime Minister Modi has said that this era is not for war. Peace should prevail. India will be affected by the war situation in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries and the Persian Gulf. Food and oil security will be affected...7 billion dollars of Indian revenue is generated there, so India will suffer...,' he said. 'India says that it is taking a leadership position -- even the G20 was held here -- which means India can play a proactive role in stopping this war,' he added. PM Modi on Sunday spoke with the President of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, expressing deep concern at the recent escalations and called for 'immediate de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy'. In a post on X, PM Modi wrote, 'Spoke with President of Iran @drpezeshkian. We discussed in detail about the current situation. Expressed deep concern at the recent escalations.' He emphasised the need for a peaceful resolution and added, 'Reiterated our call for immediate de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward and for early restoration of regional peace, security and stability.' During the intervening hours of Saturday and Sunday, the US and Israel targeted Iran's nuclear sites in Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow. Fardow is Iran's main enrichment location for uranium enrichment to 60 per cent. According to a CNN report, the US likely used six B-2 bombers to drop a dozen GBU-57 A/B 'bunker buster' bombs, also known as Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOP), on the Fordow nuclear site, which is Iran's main location for uranium enrichment. A US official also told CNN that a full payload of bombs was dropped on Fordow. In his first public remarks following the strikes, President Trump warned that further action could be taken if Tehran fails to agree to a satisfactory peace settlement. 'There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran, far greater than we've witnessed over the last eight days,' Trump said in his address to the nation from the White House on Saturday (local time). (ANI)
India.com
23-06-2025
- Business
- India.com
India Urged To Lead De-escalation As Iran-Israel Conflict Escalates; PM Modi Calls For Dialogue
West Asia expert and veteran journalist Waiel Awwad on Sunday said that India can play a proactive role in stopping the ongoing war between Iran and Israel. While speaking to ANI about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Awwad emphasised that India should leverage its position to de-escalate tensions in the region. "...Prime Minister Modi has said that this era is not for war. Peace should prevail. India will be affected by the war situation in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries and the Persian Gulf. Food and oil security will be affected...7 billion dollars of Indian revenue is generated there, so India will suffer...," he said. "India says that it is taking a leadership position -- even the G20 was held here -- which means India can play a proactive role in stopping this war," he added. PM Modi on Sunday spoke with the President of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, expressing deep concern at the recent escalations and called for "immediate de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy". In a post on X, PM Modi wrote, "Spoke with President of Iran @drpezeshkian. We discussed in detail about the current situation. Expressed deep concern at the recent escalations." He emphasised the need for a peaceful resolution and added, "Reiterated our call for immediate de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward and for early restoration of regional peace, security and stability." During the intervening hours of Saturday and Sunday, the US and Israel targeted Iran's nuclear sites in Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow. Fardow is Iran's main enrichment location for uranium enrichment to 60 per cent. According to a CNN report, the US likely used six B-2 bombers to drop a dozen GBU-57 A/B "bunker buster" bombs, also known as Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOP), on the Fordow nuclear site, which is Iran's main location for uranium enrichment. A US official also told CNN that a full payload of bombs was dropped on Fordow. In his first public remarks following the strikes, President Trump warned that further action could be taken if Tehran fails to agree to a satisfactory peace settlement. "There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran, far greater than we've witnessed over the last eight days," Trump said in his address to the nation from the White House on Saturday (local time).
The Advertiser
22-06-2025
- Politics
- The Advertiser
US bunker-buster bombs the best chance to hit Fordo
In inserting itself into Israel's war against Iran, Washington unleashed its massive "bunker-buster" bombs on Iran's Fordo fuel enrichment plant. Those bombs were widely seen as the best chance of damaging or destroying Fordo, built deep into a mountain and untouched during Israel's week-long offensive. Air Force General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said 14 of the bombs were used in Sunday's attack on Fordo and a second target. The US is the only military capable of dropping the weapons, and the movement of B-2 stealth bombers toward Asia on Saturday had signaled possible activity by the US. Israeli leaders had made no secret of their hopes that President Donald Trump would join their week-old war against Iran, though they had also suggested they had backup plans for destroying the site. In all, the US hit three nuclear sites and Caine told reporters Sunday that "initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage." The mission could have wide-ranging ramifications, including jeopardising any chance of Iran engaging in Trump's desired talks on its nuclear program and dragging the US into another Mideast war. "Bunker buster" is a broad term used to describe bombs that are designed to penetrate deep below the surface before exploding. In this case, it refers to the latest GBU-57 A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb in the American arsenal. The roughly 13,600 kilogram precision-guided bomb is designed to attack deeply buried and hardened bunkers and tunnels, according to the US Air Force. It's believed to be able to penetrate about 60 metres below the surface before exploding, and the bombs can be dropped one after another, effectively drilling deeper and deeper with each successive blast. It was not immediately known how many were used in the Sunday morning strike. The bomb carries a conventional warhead, but the International Atomic Energy Agency has confirmed that Iran is producing highly enriched uranium at Fordo, which had raised the possibility that nuclear material could be released into the area if the GBU-57 A/B were used to hit the facility. Initial assessments by the IAEA, however, were that this had not happened. Fordo is Iran's second nuclear enrichment facility after Natanz, its main facility, which already has been targeted by Israeli airstrikes and was also hit by the US on Sunday, along with Isfahan. The IAEA says it believes those earlier strikes have had "direct impacts" on the facility's underground centrifuge halls. In theory, the GBU-57 A/B could be dropped by any bomber capable of carrying the weight, but at the moment the US has only configured and programed its B-2 Spirit stealth bomber to deliver the bomb, according to the Air Force. In inserting itself into Israel's war against Iran, Washington unleashed its massive "bunker-buster" bombs on Iran's Fordo fuel enrichment plant. Those bombs were widely seen as the best chance of damaging or destroying Fordo, built deep into a mountain and untouched during Israel's week-long offensive. Air Force General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said 14 of the bombs were used in Sunday's attack on Fordo and a second target. The US is the only military capable of dropping the weapons, and the movement of B-2 stealth bombers toward Asia on Saturday had signaled possible activity by the US. Israeli leaders had made no secret of their hopes that President Donald Trump would join their week-old war against Iran, though they had also suggested they had backup plans for destroying the site. In all, the US hit three nuclear sites and Caine told reporters Sunday that "initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage." The mission could have wide-ranging ramifications, including jeopardising any chance of Iran engaging in Trump's desired talks on its nuclear program and dragging the US into another Mideast war. "Bunker buster" is a broad term used to describe bombs that are designed to penetrate deep below the surface before exploding. In this case, it refers to the latest GBU-57 A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb in the American arsenal. The roughly 13,600 kilogram precision-guided bomb is designed to attack deeply buried and hardened bunkers and tunnels, according to the US Air Force. It's believed to be able to penetrate about 60 metres below the surface before exploding, and the bombs can be dropped one after another, effectively drilling deeper and deeper with each successive blast. It was not immediately known how many were used in the Sunday morning strike. The bomb carries a conventional warhead, but the International Atomic Energy Agency has confirmed that Iran is producing highly enriched uranium at Fordo, which had raised the possibility that nuclear material could be released into the area if the GBU-57 A/B were used to hit the facility. Initial assessments by the IAEA, however, were that this had not happened. Fordo is Iran's second nuclear enrichment facility after Natanz, its main facility, which already has been targeted by Israeli airstrikes and was also hit by the US on Sunday, along with Isfahan. The IAEA says it believes those earlier strikes have had "direct impacts" on the facility's underground centrifuge halls. In theory, the GBU-57 A/B could be dropped by any bomber capable of carrying the weight, but at the moment the US has only configured and programed its B-2 Spirit stealth bomber to deliver the bomb, according to the Air Force. In inserting itself into Israel's war against Iran, Washington unleashed its massive "bunker-buster" bombs on Iran's Fordo fuel enrichment plant. Those bombs were widely seen as the best chance of damaging or destroying Fordo, built deep into a mountain and untouched during Israel's week-long offensive. Air Force General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said 14 of the bombs were used in Sunday's attack on Fordo and a second target. The US is the only military capable of dropping the weapons, and the movement of B-2 stealth bombers toward Asia on Saturday had signaled possible activity by the US. Israeli leaders had made no secret of their hopes that President Donald Trump would join their week-old war against Iran, though they had also suggested they had backup plans for destroying the site. In all, the US hit three nuclear sites and Caine told reporters Sunday that "initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage." The mission could have wide-ranging ramifications, including jeopardising any chance of Iran engaging in Trump's desired talks on its nuclear program and dragging the US into another Mideast war. "Bunker buster" is a broad term used to describe bombs that are designed to penetrate deep below the surface before exploding. In this case, it refers to the latest GBU-57 A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb in the American arsenal. The roughly 13,600 kilogram precision-guided bomb is designed to attack deeply buried and hardened bunkers and tunnels, according to the US Air Force. It's believed to be able to penetrate about 60 metres below the surface before exploding, and the bombs can be dropped one after another, effectively drilling deeper and deeper with each successive blast. It was not immediately known how many were used in the Sunday morning strike. The bomb carries a conventional warhead, but the International Atomic Energy Agency has confirmed that Iran is producing highly enriched uranium at Fordo, which had raised the possibility that nuclear material could be released into the area if the GBU-57 A/B were used to hit the facility. Initial assessments by the IAEA, however, were that this had not happened. Fordo is Iran's second nuclear enrichment facility after Natanz, its main facility, which already has been targeted by Israeli airstrikes and was also hit by the US on Sunday, along with Isfahan. The IAEA says it believes those earlier strikes have had "direct impacts" on the facility's underground centrifuge halls. In theory, the GBU-57 A/B could be dropped by any bomber capable of carrying the weight, but at the moment the US has only configured and programed its B-2 Spirit stealth bomber to deliver the bomb, according to the Air Force. In inserting itself into Israel's war against Iran, Washington unleashed its massive "bunker-buster" bombs on Iran's Fordo fuel enrichment plant. Those bombs were widely seen as the best chance of damaging or destroying Fordo, built deep into a mountain and untouched during Israel's week-long offensive. Air Force General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said 14 of the bombs were used in Sunday's attack on Fordo and a second target. The US is the only military capable of dropping the weapons, and the movement of B-2 stealth bombers toward Asia on Saturday had signaled possible activity by the US. Israeli leaders had made no secret of their hopes that President Donald Trump would join their week-old war against Iran, though they had also suggested they had backup plans for destroying the site. In all, the US hit three nuclear sites and Caine told reporters Sunday that "initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage." The mission could have wide-ranging ramifications, including jeopardising any chance of Iran engaging in Trump's desired talks on its nuclear program and dragging the US into another Mideast war. "Bunker buster" is a broad term used to describe bombs that are designed to penetrate deep below the surface before exploding. In this case, it refers to the latest GBU-57 A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb in the American arsenal. The roughly 13,600 kilogram precision-guided bomb is designed to attack deeply buried and hardened bunkers and tunnels, according to the US Air Force. It's believed to be able to penetrate about 60 metres below the surface before exploding, and the bombs can be dropped one after another, effectively drilling deeper and deeper with each successive blast. It was not immediately known how many were used in the Sunday morning strike. The bomb carries a conventional warhead, but the International Atomic Energy Agency has confirmed that Iran is producing highly enriched uranium at Fordo, which had raised the possibility that nuclear material could be released into the area if the GBU-57 A/B were used to hit the facility. Initial assessments by the IAEA, however, were that this had not happened. Fordo is Iran's second nuclear enrichment facility after Natanz, its main facility, which already has been targeted by Israeli airstrikes and was also hit by the US on Sunday, along with Isfahan. The IAEA says it believes those earlier strikes have had "direct impacts" on the facility's underground centrifuge halls. In theory, the GBU-57 A/B could be dropped by any bomber capable of carrying the weight, but at the moment the US has only configured and programed its B-2 Spirit stealth bomber to deliver the bomb, according to the Air Force.
The Print
22-06-2025
- Politics
- The Print
‘Voted Trump, got Netanyahu as boss,' Priyanka Chaturvedi mocks US president amid Iran strikes
'America voted for President Trump but got Netanyahu as their boss,' the UBT leader said. The strikes in the early hours targeted Iran's nuclear sites in Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow. Fardow is Iran's main enrichment location for uranium enrichment to 60 per cent. New Delhi: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Sunday took a clever jibe at the growing coordination between the United States and Israel over the recent strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. 'The action taken by Israel and America is a major escalation. Iran had to face a devastating blow due to these actions, and the deep underground nuclear facilities of Iran were hard hit in this attack,' Srivastava said. He added, 'Be it the Trump administration or any other administrations, everyone has expressed their views that they won't let Iran acquire nuclear weapons.' According to a CNN report, the US likely used six B-2 bombers to drop a dozen GBU-57 A/B 'bunker buster' bombs, also known as Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOP), on the Fordow nuclear site, which is Iran's main location for uranium enrichment. A US official also told CNN that a full payload of bombs was dropped on Fordow. In his first public remarks following the strikes, President Trump warned that further action could be taken if Tehran fails to agree to a satisfactory peace settlement. 'There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran, far greater than we've witnessed over the last eight days,' Trump said in his address to the nation from the White House on Saturday (local time). In a Truth Social post, he added, 'This cannot continue. There will be either peace or there will be a tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days. Remember, there are many targets left. Tonight's was the most difficult of them all, by far, and perhaps the most lethal. But if peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill.' Trump also praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stating: 'I want to thank Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. We worked as a team like perhaps no team has ever worked before, and we've gone a long way to erasing this horrible threat to Israel.' He also lauded the military minds behind the joint operation: 'I want to thank the Israeli military for the wonderful job they've done and most importantly I want to congratulate great American patriots who flew those magnificent machines tonight, and all of the United States' military on an operation the likes of which the world has not seen in many, many decades. Hopefully, we will no longer need their services in this capacity. I hope that so.' Trump was joined by key members of his administration, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, as he delivered the remarks from the White House. (ANI) This report is auto-generated from ANI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
