The article bellow follows my most recent June 16, 2025, article Israel May Coerce US Bomber Involvement in War Against Iran, at https://gentleseas.blogspot.com/2025/06/israel-may-coerce-us-bomber-involvement.html. I suspect Israel might have advised the US that the only option open to Israel was the unviable use of Israeli nuclear weapons to destroy the most deeply dug Iranian nuclear facilities. Israel and the US are most probably in agreement it is far preferable to use US-only heavy conventional high explosive bunker buster bombs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GBU-57A/B_MOP#Development .
Possible targets of these US bombs are very deeply dug Uranium enrichment sites under the Iranian
cities of Tehran, Natanz and Fordow (see 3:40 into the video above and map below). Those sites might
also have stores of almost bomb grade highly enriched Uranium (HEU).
Tehran also has a "research reactor" which may be to produce nuclear explosive Plutonium. If this reactor were bombed it could spread radiation over Tehran. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plutonium#Nuclear_fission
All this puts Tehran at risk – one reason why Trump is advising “evacuate Tehran”.
US B-2 heavy stealth bombers, forward based at Diego Garcia (central Indian Ocean) would carry out these heavy bombing missions. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_B-2_Spirit#2000s
Tehran, Natanz and Fordow aka Fordo (Map courtesy BBC https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-11927720 )
Here is information - at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fordow_Fuel_Enrichment_Plant#2025_Israeli_airstrikes - on Natanz and Fordow
"Satellite imagery and reports suggested that some above-ground sites at Fordow and Natanz were damaged [by the Israeli airstrikes last week] but the subterranean facilities that house centrifuges and enriched uranium were not breached."
For more information see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_facilities_in_Iran.
4 comments:
Hi Pete,
So the Don has given Iran two weeks 'to decide', but he gave Putin 60 days to respond to his threats of sanctions, and has done nothing, as expected.
I really do think that this is a coordinated ploy from the Don and the Bebe (who FaceTime each other daily).
TWZ.com has an interesting article about using C-130 Hercules to drop bunker busters. At this moment, the IDF has established air supremacy over Iran (there's a Heron UAV orbiting Teheran 24/7), but I do think it's a little far-fetch that they would fly a slow C-130 1,000km into Iran.
https://www.twz.com/air/could-israeli-c-130s-drop-gbu-57-massive-ordnance-penetrator-bunker-busters
Let the B-2s have one last hurrah before granting them to Australia.
: )
https://nationalinterest.org/feature/why-the-us-should-give-australia-its-old-b-2-fleet
Hi Shawn at 6/20/2025 8:00 PM
Now that my prediction of June 19, 2025 "Likely Targets of US B2 bombers: Tehran, Natanz & Fordow" has become fact, on June 22, 2025...targets under Tehran have not been hit - yet...
I'd say C-130s would only be used in LOW THREAT environments. Like C-130s dropping similar sized parachute delayed air burst MOABs at remote Afghani targets in 2017 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GBU-43/B_MOAB#Operational_use
Also C-130s only fly half the altitude of B-2s. So a C-130 dropped GBU-57 would not enjoy the full thin air and gravity effect do penetrate deeper into a deep dug target's earth and concrete protection.
Regards Pete
Hi Anonymous at 6/21/2025 2:58 AM
If Australia acquired no AUKUS Virginias or SSN-AUKUSes then new B-21s might be a serious prospect.
On old B-2s they are hugely expensive even if they are second hand.
Of Western countries only the US has heavy bombers, and even more expensive stealth bombers due to the cost of acquisition, basing, maintenance and very limited roles.
If Australia bought used B-2s The cost to operate them would be around A$200,000 per flight hour. Inflight refueling and re-applying the stealthy "skin" (after each mission) might be the highest costs. Too expensive for maritime strike - only "useful" as long range nuclear armed bombers against China - but ICBMs could do that more cheaply.
Regards Pete
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