“Fordow is gone”, read a post reshared by US President Donald Trump on Sunday after the American military strikes on three nuclear sites in Iran – Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan.
The Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, considered one of the most highly secure nuclear installations in Iran, reportedly saw six bunker buster bombs dropped on it.
Ever since the conflict between Israel and Iran began, the former had been eyeing a move against the deeply buried site at Fordow. But, only the US’s bunker-busting bombs were considered powerful enough to reach the facility.
All about Fordow nuclear plant
The Fordow facility is dug into the side of a mountain south of Tehran and is located deep inside the hill about 30 kilometres northeast of Qom, nearly 100 kilometers from Tehran. The US strikes also hit the Natanz and Isfahan sites.
The facility’s construction began by 2007, and it was originally a military base run by Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. However, it was only in 2009 that Iran informed the UN nuclear watchdog that Fordow was changed to a nuclear facility.
The facility has long been suspected of being a transit point for moving enriched uranium to covert locations where it could be weaponised.
According to the NewYorkPost, facility is believed to have the capability to produce enough weapons-grade material for up to nine nuclear bombs in less than a month.
In 2023, a surprise inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) led to the finding of uranium particles at Fordow, enriched to to 83.7 per cent. This was barely short of the weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent, needed for a nuclear bomb.
Iran has spent years reinforcing the enrichment facility, making it impenetrable to conventional airstrikes. But, the US has managed to strike Iran’s second primary nuclear hub amid the Iran-Israel conflict.
‘Fordow is gone’
While Israel struck many nuclear sites in Iran during the ongoing conflict, Fordow was considered immune to Israeli bombs. However, the US military has struck key nuclear sites in Iran, Fordow being one of them.
Only a “bunker buster” bomb could reportedly penetrate the mountain and strike Fordow, and it did. A roughly 13,600 kilogram precision-guided bomb – the US-developed GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) – is said to have been used on Fordow. The bomb is designed to attack hardened bunkers and tunnels.
Fox News reported that the US dropped six bunker buster bombs in strikes on Fordow and 30 Tomahawk missiles on other Iranian nuclear sites.
As Trump confirmed that US strikes on nuclear sites, he reshared a post by a news and open source intelligence monitoring portal, that read “Fordow is gone”.
He also said that B-2 stealth bombers were used in the operation but did not provide details about the types of munitions deployed.
The US has officially intervened in the Israel-Iran conflict, days after the White House said Trump was deliberating whether America would send in troops.
