Trump has signalled that he wants two weeks to decide whether or not to strike Iran – key US politics stories from 19 June
Will he or won’t he? That’s the question many are asking regarding whether Donald Trump will join Israel’s attacks on Iran and take out one of its most difficult targets: the Fordow nuclear enrichment site.
But another question has arisen. Can he?
Trump signalled on Thursday that he will take two weeks to decide whether or not to strike. Guardian reporting suggests he is not fully convinced the US Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs – better known as “bunker busters” – will effectively destroy Fordow, built deep into a mountain south of Tehran. That the 13.6-tonne bomb could fall short of that goal is a concern that some military analysts have echoed.
But it’s a coveted target for Israel, which has already destroyed some of Iran’s nuclear capability but lacks the powerful bombs and aircraft to do any real damage to the secretive site. The US is the only country in the world to possess bunker busters and only US aircraft can deliver them.
