Iran’s ‘Secretive’ Nuclear Site and the Bomb That Could Destroy It

The Fordo nuclear facility, which is hidden away in a mountainside south of Tehran, is an enrichment plant that is vital to Iran’s nuclear ambitions – and Israel’s attempts to dismantle them.

Fordo, Iran’s underground nuclear site

Israel may have achieved dominance over Iran’s skies, but the Fordo nuclear facility, believed to be deeper underground than the Channel Tunnel connecting the UK and France, has remained out of reach of Israel’s weaponry.

Only the United States is considered to have a bomb that might be large enough to destroy Fordo, a move that could dramatically widen a Middle East war. Here’s more about the secretive site, which Iran insists is for civilian purposes only but Israel says threatens its survival as reported by the BBC.

What is the Fordo enrichment site?

Situated about 60 miles (96km) south of the capital Tehran, the uranium enrichment site at Fordo is located in a mountainous region close to the city of Qom. According to the BBC, Fordo is built deep within northern Iran’s rugged, remote mountains and designed to withstand air strikes, its underground location shields it from conventional bombs.

The underground facility is thought to consist of two main tunnels that house centrifuges used to enrich uranium, as well as a network of smaller tunnels. The complex at Fordo was originally a series of tunnels used by the country’s elite Islamic Revolution Guard Corps but Iran acknowledged the existence of the enrichment plant in 2009 after it was revealed by Western intelligence agencies.

Is Fordo indestructible?

The Fordo plant presents a unique challenge to the Israeli military because of the depth of its underground facilities. To cause any meaningful damage to the site it would need to be targeted by a “bunker buster” munition that is able to penetrate deep below the surface. Israel is thought to have such weapons but they can only operate to a depth of less than 10m (33ft).

US powerful MOP bomb that can destroy Iran’s Fordo

The US, however, does have a bomb that might be able to do the job: the 13,000kg (30,000lb) GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP). The MOP’s heavy casing and weight allows it to penetrate about 18m of concrete or 61m of earth before exploding, according to analysts at Janes, a defence intelligence company. Legit.ng reported that experts are discussing the potential use of the US’s MOP bomb, which can destroy Iran’s deeply buried nuclear sites like Fordo.

Despite the ongoing Israeli airstrikes on Iran, the US has not yet committed to deploying the MOP, though its involvement could escalate the conflict further due to the bomb’s size and power.

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