Fordow: The Iranian underground plant that only the US could bomb
The American GBU-57 is the only missile technically prepared to destroy these facilities, a major target for Israel.
BarcelonaThe Fordow uranium enrichment facility, a three-hour drive from Tehran, is one of the key sites of Iran's nuclear activities. This is the belief of Israeli and US intelligence services, which believe Iran is enriching uranium to 60%, far above what is needed for civilian purposes, despite the authorities' denials.
Located eighty meters underground, Iran maintains at this point a plant with at least 3,000 uranium centrifuges in sixteen cascades, according to The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been able to confirm this.The agency was responsible for monitoring the development of Iran's nuclear facilities between 2016 and 2019, but since Trump broke the agreement, the information they receive has decreased.
According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), "the facility could increase enrichment from 60 percent to the 90 percent needed for nuclear weapons." Samples obtained by the IAEA of uranium enriched above 83 percent were used as evidence of an alleged enrichment process, but Iran's Atomic Energy Agency repeatedly denied this and said the presence of particles above 60 percent could be due to "
The GBU-57 missile, the only weapon capable of penetrating bunkers
So far, the Israeli offensive has not hit Fordow, but the Israeli army and the Defense Minister have not denied their interest. The challenge facing the Israeli authorities is the inability of their technical resources: the only missile capable of destroying the plant weighs 13,000 kg and is in the hands of the United States.
To penetrate the eighty meters of rock and earth protecting the facility, the Israeli army needs a GBU-57 missile. This type of "bunker-buster" bomb is designed to travel 60 meters underground before exploding, bypassing tunnels and airtight shelters. A bombing strategy that, in the case of Fordow, would require multiple explosions to pierce the various layers protecting the facility.
From the beginning of the attacksSeveral US media outlets have speculated about the president's interest in dismantling the plant. CBS News has reported that sources close to the president claim that he is "considering bombing the plant" and that he believes it is the only way to "finish the job."
Israel, for its part, is clear about its objective. "This entire operation... really must be completed with the elimination of Fordow," said Israel's ambassador to the United States in an interview on Fox News last Friday.
The Israeli army has already bombed multiple nuclear targets since the start of the offensive. Today it acknowledged attacking the facilities in Natanz, Esfahan, and Khondab, as well as Tehran and Karaj in the preceding days. Nuclear research experts have warned of the health risk of destroying enrichment plants.
