GBU-57, the <x0organtite” American threat to Iran, but will Trump use it?

After five days of attacks between Israel and Iran, Tehran claims his ballistic missiles are planting terror in the heart of his eternal enemy. On the other hand, Tel Aviv is systematically bombarding targets across Iranian territory from the air, leading to the destruction of the theocratic regime. Tension in the Middle East has also taken on a strong American “since the start, as Donald Trump's post calling for the evacuation of the Iranian capital highlighted scenarios for a war that will far exceed the borders of the region.

The U.S. of Trump, who have long claimed that wars are destructive and against their political ways (no matter whether the war in Ukraine ended in 1 or 100 days) today has a strategic choice in line with their military power and potential. Washington has the opportunity to choose to end Iran's nuclear programme with concentrated attacks, with social uprisings in the country, or to “varity” the existing regime in negotiations in a much stricter way, which will now have absolute knowledge that nuclear weapons are not an option and that they themselves have an expiration date...

So far, Trump does not seem to have made any specific choices, as on the one hand he has given clear orders to transport warriors, bombers and “cisterna” air in the Mediterranean and the Middle East, and on the other hand, he publicly declares that Iranians are calling and demanding negotiations. Israel, in turn, has arrived again, within 60 days, to bring Tel Aviv into the position of the sole partner of the White House in the region and at the same time hit him for the country's prime minister is the pillar of his political career since he became head of his party at age 44, “the Box of evil”.

The United States is currently practically the only military power if we accept the published data on the arsenals of large powers that have a weapon capable of ending Tehran's nuclear programme and specifically the Formo facility deep in the mountains.

The GBU 57 bomb Massive Ordnance Penetator (MOP) is an American bomb with great power entering the blitz. With a weight of 300 pounds [13 600 kg], this “toll-destructor” is designed to neutralise extremely deep and fortified underground bunkers, targets not affected by conventional weapons. GBU 57 was produced by Boeing for the U.S. Air Force in the early 2000s and considered the most powerful non-fuely weapon in the US arsenal.

It carries a warhead of more than 2,000 pounds [2,400 kg] of explosives and has a perforation capacity that exceeds 60 meters [60 m] in reinforced concrete. Her main objective? Objects such as Fordo, Iran's underground uranium enrichment facility buried deep on rocky terrain near the town of Qom. However, using MPOP is not a simple matter. The only plane that can hold it is the secret B-2 Spirian bomber. Although the United States has a small number of these bombs (about 20), they remain under strict strategic control.

Israel, although it has sophisticated aircraft and advanced weapons systems, does not own the bomb or bomber needed to activate it, which means that any operation against an Iranian underground object would require direct support from the United States. So far, GBU-57 has never been used in combat, remaining a last “at the US strategic arsenal. However, his existence is a clear message of power and a means of influence in an extremely fragile geopolitical landscape. /LAPSI.al/  Periscope.