- By Aditya Jha
- Sun, 22 Jun 2025 10:37 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
The United States on Saturday carried out airstrikes on three key nuclear sites of Iran: Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. In a post on Truth Social, US President Donald Trump stated that the "primary" site, Fordow, was attacked with massive bombs due to its strategic location. While Iran has warned of a possible retaliation, Trump had emphasised that any attack from Tehran will further escalate the tensions. In an interview with Fox News, Trump also stated that the US used the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) to destroy the Fordow, the most prominent Iranian nuclear site.
What Is MOP and Its Significance?
The 15-ton Massive Ordnance Penetrator was designed by Boeing, and it is the largest non-nuclear bomb in the US arsenal. The US armed forces used the powerful bomb to destroy Fordow, as the nuclear site was built almost 300 feet inside a mountain near Qom, several kilometers away from the capital city, Tehran.
The 15-ton bomb could only be delivered with a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber due to its massive weight. However, only the US could have used the deadly bomb to destroy the key nuclear site, as the Israeli armed forces do not possess a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. A 2013 Wall Street Journal report suggests that the US military had manufactured 20 such bombs to destroy the nuclear sites in Iran.
These bunker busters are called Penetrators as they penetrate the ground before exploding, reported the New York Post, citing an expert. While the US had sold several similar weapons to Israel, it has refused to sell the MOP to any of its allies, reported NYP.
US Attacks Iran's Nuclear Sites
Donald Trump stated that three nuclear sites had been destroyed by the US armed forces on Saturday, adding that no other military force on earth could have done it. Iran has warned the US of a possible retaliation by stating that the American citizens and troops in the Middle East can soon be targeted.