It happened a few hours ago and American media They are taking it on their covers. Trump and Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, spoke on the phone. It is not clear what they said, but the call occurred while the president has been considering a distant option: that the United States intervenes directly in the Israel’s efforts for damaging the nuclear capacity From Iran. In the background, an idea that was intuited from the beginning of the conflict: the only way to reach Fordow was Through Washington.
A key decision. On a day that could define the rest of its presidency, Trump faces one of the decisions more transcendental Of his mandate: or not to the Israel War against Iran. After returning from the G7 summit in Canada, the president held a high -level meeting and talked directly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. While, In your social networks He proclaimed that the United States had “total control of Iranian airspace,” warned Supreme Leader Ali Jameneí who was an “easy white” and demanded an “unconditional surrender”, without defining the terms.
Although until recently Trump had advocated a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear program, his rhetoric and his most recent military movements (such as the deployment of bombers and Naval destroyers) suggest that this direct intervention is seriously considering.
The change of posture. Had the New York Times In an extensive report how that turn to action in Washington’s position has been brewing. Throughout the last weeks, Trump has traveled from diplomatic containment to a growing acceptance of the military road to the Iranian challenge, largely pushed by the constant pressure of the Israeli prime minister, Netanyahu.
While Trump tried to keep negotiations with Tehran (even sending A personal letter Ayatolá Jamenei and presenting nuclear cooperation proposals with regional participation), American intelligence began to warn that Israel He planned an attack Imminent against the Iranian nuclear program, with or without the support of Washington.
Israel and pressure. The Times explained That Netanyahu, tired of years of containment by successive US presidents, seemed willing to launch a large offensive, not only on nuclear facilities, but potentially on the Iranian regime itself.
This direct threat, added to the growing Trump skepticism Regarding the Iranian will to reach a real agreement, it caused an inflection: although at the beginning it rejected deliver the antibunker bombs requested by Netanyahu, the president ended up offering support in intelligence and now even values the use of b-2 bombers and heavy armament against Fordowhe heart Underground Iranian nuclear enrichment.
Symbolic weight. It is the other leg that explains the turn of events. It is not only a product of intelligence reports or impatience to stagnant negotiations, but also symbolic and media weight of the Israeli attacks and the role that Trump You want to project before its base: that of a strong, decisive and protective leader of Israel’s interests.
Gathered with their advisors at Camp David, the media have counted that the President debated various optionsfrom passivity to total implication, and opted for a Intermediate strategy that would allow him to maintain a certain political distance while offering operational support. However, as Israel He obtained tactical victories (Including the murder of Iranian military leaders and the possible penetration in Natanz’s facilities), Trump began to change his public position, hinting at a more active role in the United States in the campaign.
The goal. Because the key, againis in Fordow, the Iranian uranium enrichment center excavated under a mountain, a fortress that could only be destroyed by a name: the gigantic GBU-57 pumpsthat only B-2 can launch. The possibility of attacking with this arsenal, added to the perception that Israel cannot destroy underground installation without US support, feeds the sensation of imminence.
MOP underground at White Sands Missile Range before his first explosion test in 2007
The bomb that drills mountains. Thus, and in the midst of a conflict that does nothing but grow, the potential role of the United States in an air operation against Iranian nuclear facilities brings to stage one of the most feared and less used artifacts of the US arsenal: the GBU-57A/B. Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), a 13,600 kilos bomb Designed to do precisely what its name indicates: to penetrate deeply into the earth and destroy underground fortifications.
Unlike conventional mass dispersion pumps, MOP is a precision weapon, not saturation. Its forged steel structure and its guide by GPS allow it excavate up to 60 meters in solid rock (or even more, after years of improvements not revealed) before detonating in the heart of bunkers, tunnels or underground laboratories designed to resist the apocalypse.
It is not the volume. Although it is the explosive non -nuclearly heavy of the US military inventory, its effectiveness does not depend on the destructive volume, but on its surgical capacity to eliminate what is beyond the reach of any other pump. Despite its devastating potential, it has never been used in combat, but its deployment is contemplated only for missions that alter the global strategic balance.
B-2’s first public flight in 1989
19 B-2. And here appears the other fundamental leg of the strategy of this deterrent pump. The MOP cannot be launched from any aircraft. Only the B-2 Spiritthe stealthy strategic bomber of the United States Air Force has the structural and technological capacity to load it and deliver it in the target. With just 19 operational units (a good part parked On Diego García Island), The B-2 is not a bomber: it is a platform designed to go far, avoid radars and attack in depth, literally.
In the past, these devices have flown round trip missions of more than 30 hours From Misuri until Libya or Kosovowithout scales except reposses in the air. Plus: the Recent updates to the MOP system they have sought to perfect the Integration between bomb and planein addition to improving the capacity of the intelligent spolet to detect structural “empty” (floors, cameras, tunnels) and exploit exactly at the most vulnerable point.
Designed combination. Technology would be key in repeated attacks Against the same underground objective, although it is not clear if it has already been put into operational use. The B-2 and the MOP form a combination designed not for conventional wars, but to eliminate strongly defended and difficult strategic facilities. And here the underground installation of Fordow, As we count A few days ago, it is key.
The armored jewel. Excavated inside a mountain southwest of Tehran, Fordow is protected by layers of up to 90 meters of rockwith armored doors and reinforced tunnels, according to UN observers. Although officially designed to enrich URANIO at 20 %, recent inspections of the International Atomic Energy Agency (OIEA) reveal that Iran has intensified there the 60 % uranium productionvery close to the 90 % threshold necessary for nuclear weapons.
It is known that Israel He has tried to hit The core of its most protected infrastructure, but with very little success. The lack of access to weapons such as MOP makes it clear that Only the United States It has the technical ability to hit such structures, which reinforces the debate on a possible American direct participation in a future phase of the conflict.
Irreversible consequences. In summary, the viability of an American attack on Fordow seems increasingly linked not only to tactical movements, but to a political decision of huge draft. Hit the underground installation is not simply destroying centrifuging: it is Demonstrate the symbol Tehran nuclear resistance and send a message on a global scale. However, it is also to cross a non -return line.
Although the United States has armament, technology and logistics to execute it, what is at stake goes Beyond the military: It is Washington’s credibility against allies and adversaries, regional balance, and the ability to contain an escalation that could drag the world to a broader confrontation. Meanwhile, the Presence of B-2 In Diego García and the stealthy transit of cisterns in the heavens of the East keep the possibility alive.
The world observes, with the look fixed on a mountain south of Tehran.
Image | US Air Force, Father GooseUSAF
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