Jun 20, Kathmandu - US President Donald Trump has said that it would be appropriate to attack Iran only after it is 'guaranteed' that the bunker buster bomb will completely destroy the Fordow nuclear facility. He told US defense officials this.

Trump has been told that a 13.6-ton (30,000-pound) GBU-57 bomb could destroy the Fordow nuclear facility. However, he was not fully convinced and did not authorize the attack because the threat of US involvement could bring Iran into talks, The Guardian reported.

The Pentagon has been discussing the effectiveness of the GBU-57 since early in Trump's term. Two US defense officials said that only a "tactical nuclear" weapon could be capable of completely destroying the Fordow nuclear facility because it is located so deep underground.

However, Trump has not considered using tactical nuclear weapons at Fordow, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Kaine have not raised the possibility in the White House Situation Room, it is reported.

Defense officials were briefed that conventional bombs, including the GBU-57, cannot reach deep enough underground and can only destroy tunnels and bury them in rubble.

It was said that conventional bombs would need to soften the ground before tactical nuclear weapons could be dropped from B2 bombers to completely destroy Fordow.

The Defense Threat Reduction
Agency (DTRA), a unit of the US Department of Defense, has tested the GBU-57 bomb, reviewing the limitations of US military weapons against underground facilities, highlighting the complex nature of such attacks.

The GBU-57 could delay Iran's ability to produce weapons-grade uranium for a few years, but it is not expected to eliminate the program. The White House and the Pentagon have declined to comment.

Why is it important to disable Fordow?
After the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) found 83.7 percent enriched uranium (nearly 90 percent of nuclear weapons) at Fordow, disabling it diplomatically or militarily is considered important for nuclear nonproliferation.

Since Israel does not have the weapons to attack such a deep facility or the aircraft to carry them, American assistance is essential to destroy Fordow.

The GBU-57's limitations are
that the Fordow nuclear facility is built deep inside the mountain. The GBU-57 has never been used on such a complex target.

"This is not a quick fix," said former IAEA deputy director General Randy Manor. "The program could be delayed by six to 12 months. But dropping bombs only sounds good on TV."

The GBU-57 can only be carried by the B2 bomber, which requires a GPS signal lock on the target.

For a successful attack, GPS jammers and other defense systems must be destroyed in advance. And, the GBU-57 bomb must be able to penetrate underground and destroy the nuclear facility.

Iran's Strategy and Israel's Alternatives
In 1981, Israel destroyed an unearthed nuclear facility near Baghdad. Iran learned from that incident and built Fordow underground, fearing an air attack.

Israel has drawn up various plans to destroy the fort without American help, including a helicopter attack by commandos and bombing it. But Trump has deemed this impractical.