Fordow facility for uranium enrichment damaged in B-2 bombing, but no proof

TEHRAN, June 24: The Fordow facility for uranium enrichment has been damaged significantly in the US bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities on Sunday morning (local time), President Donald Trump has claimed.

The US attack on the nuclear sites followed Israel reporting its inability to hit the underground facility at Fordow even in a second wave of airstrike last Friday after its “Operation Rising Lion" of June 13. Israel is reported to have told the US to do the job.

“Operation Rising Lion"

The “Operation Rising Lion" had targeted three major nuclear sites in Iran: Fordow – A deeply buried uranium enrichment facility in Qom province, considered one of Iran’s most fortified nuclear sites; Natanz – Iran’s primary uranium enrichment centre, housing both aboveground and underground centrifuge halls; and, Isfahan – Home to a nuclear technology centre with research reactors and a uranium conversion facility.

In the Israeli operation, 20 top military officials and six nuclear scientists were also killed.

Why Israel could not do that

The US B-2 bombing of last Sunday was part of a broader operation targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. The strike involved the use of GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs called Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) delivered by B-2 Spirit stealth bombers.

Israel could not penetrate Fordow although its bunker-busting capabilities are formidable — because they fall short of what’s needed to destroy such ultra-deep sites. Israel’s bunker-busting arsenal GBU-28 is its most powerful known bunker-buster. It can penetrate up to 20 feet of reinforced concrete or about 100 feet of earth. Originally developed by the US during the Gulf War, it’s laser-guided and typically deployed from F-15I jets. BLU-109 is another US-supplied bomb in Israel’s inventory. It can pierce 4–6 feet of concrete.

Can MOPs smash and penetrate rocks? How deep?

But neither the GBU-28 nor BLU-109 can reach the 260–300 feet of rock below which is shielded Fordow facility. Israel lacks the B-2 Spirit stealth bombers to carry the GBU-57 MOP. MOP is the only non-nuclear weapon capable of reaching such depths.

That is, Israel can only disrupt but not fully destroy deeply buried sites like Fordow. Therefore the US capabilities had to be summoned, calling for direct American involvement.

Can MOPs smash and penetrate 100-200 feet of rocks like in Fordow? The GBU-57A/B MOP was specifically engineered to do just that—penetrate up to 200 feet of reinforced concrete or rock. It weighs nearly 30,000 pounds, carries over 5,300 pounds of explosives, and is guided by GPS to strike with extreme precision. Fordow, buried between 196 and 295 feet beneath a mountain, presents one of the most challenging targets on Earth. To overcome this, the US employs a “burrowing” technique, where multiple MOPs are dropped in succession to progressively tunnel deeper into the rock before detonating. So while a single MOP might not obliterate a site like Fordow in one go, a coordinated strike using several MOPs—delivered by stealth B-2 bombers—is designed to collapse or severely damage even the most hardened underground facilities.

Damage to Fordow facility remains unverified

Satellite imagery after the US bombing of Fordow shows multiple craters, collapsed tunnel entrances and damaged terrain. However, the damage, if any, done to the facility deep inside remains unverified.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has not been able to inspect the site since June 13, when Israeli strikes began. However, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi stated that the centrifuges at Fordow are extremely vibration-sensitive, and given the explosive payload used, extensive internal damage is likely.

There are also indications that enriched uranium may have been moved out prior to the strike. Despite the attack, no radiation leaks have been reported.

Natanz: The US also bombed Natanz and Isfahan nuclear facilities. Natanz is Iran’s main uranium enrichment centre. Satellite imagery shows a 5.5-metre-wide crater directly above the underground enrichment halls. These halls are buried 40 metres deep and shielded by an 8-metre-thick concrete and steel shell. B-2 bombers dropped GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs, designed to penetrate hardened underground structures. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi reported chemical and radiological contamination inside the facility, including possible dispersal of uranium hexafluoride and hydrogen fluoride.

Isfahan: Isfahan Nuclear Technology Centre is Iran’s main nuclear research hub, housing three Chinese-supplied reactors and a uranium conversion facility. American Tomahawk missiles struck aboveground structures, including tunnel entrances and conversion labs. No radiation leaks have been reported.

These US strikes were named "Operation Midnight Hammer." It was the largest B-2 mission in US history. There were over 125 fighter jets deployed in the operation.