Several analysts estimate that destroying Iran’s nuclear programme would require the involvement of the United States, as Israel does not possess the capability to do so alone. Among Israel’s top priorities appears to be the neutralisation of the Fordow nuclear facility. This specific installation is buried 80 to 90 metres deep into the side of a mountain, located near the city of Qom, approximately 160 kilometres south of Tehran. Penetrating Fordow is a formidable challenge, but the Americans possess the “key” to address it — the so-called “Mother of All Bombs”, technically known as the GBU-43 MOAB (Massive Ordnance Air Blast).
Satellite images from 2024 of the uranium enrichment plant at Fordow, Iran, show new structures. Is Iran negotiating with the United States in good faith? We are not at all sure… From the air, you can see the mountains on which the Fordow site is built. Iran believes that this… pic.twitter.com/8M8S3JjFoN
— Israel-Alma (@Israel_Alma_org) April 15, 2025
The Fordow nuclear facility
The MOAB was developed, tested, and is in use by the United States Air Force Research Laboratory. It is a 10-tonne bomb, regarded as the heaviest precision-guided conventional bomb in the world, and is used exclusively by the Americans. It was used only once — in 2017 in Afghanistan against ISIS — causing devastating results as well as international backlash.
The MOAB is typically transported on a special platform by a C-130 Hercules aircraft, and is deployed via parachute that drops it from the belly of the plane. There are indications that American B-52 bombers stationed on Diego Garcia island in the Indian Ocean may have the capability to carry a modified version of the bomb, although this has not been officially confirmed.
Its glide range toward a target is approximately 5 kilometres. This means that the large, slow bomber must get relatively close to its target, which requires the prior destruction of the region’s air defence systems.
The destruction of Iranian defence systems has reportedly already been carried out by the Israeli Air Force. However, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) face difficulty reaching the necessary depth using the bunker buster bombs currently in their arsenal, which are launched from fighter aircraft.
The Israeli Ambassador to the United States, Yehiel Leiter, stated that only an American bomb — likely referring to the MOAB (“Mother of all bombs”) — has the capacity to destroy Iran’s underground nuclear facility at Fordow, which is deeply buried in the mountains of Qom.
At the same time, the Israeli official hinted that Tel Aviv has planned a series of surprise attacks inside Iran, which, as he put it, “will make the previous beeper operation seem simple.”
Leiter’s remarks were made in an interview with Merit TV, though no further details were provided regarding the nature or timing of the alleged operations.
🚨🚨🚨 Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter says that the world should expect a “surprise” later this week in its attacks on Iran that will make the Mossad’s Hezbollah pager operation look “simple.” pic.twitter.com/EEDByd9LWx
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) June 17, 2025
Also read: Why did Israel attack Iran in the middle of US-Iran nuclear talks?
