While US President Donald Trump is considering one of the most important foreign policy decisions of his administration, with the possibility of a direct US involvement in Iran, we look at the weaponry that could be used in a possible attack. Trump has a wide range of military resources at his disposal in the Middle East and around the world. The one that has attracted the most attention is the MOP, the US super bomb, the only one in the world capable of reaching the Iranian bunker Fordow, dug underground, where Tehran enriches uranium.
Guns for Every Contingency: Trump Weighs Options
The US military arsenal includes high-yield bombs, long-range stealth bombers, a carrier strike group, Navy destroyers and US troops, offering Trump different options if it decided to intervene more directly in support of Israel. Some resources, such as the B-2 bomber, are located in the United States, while others are located already in the area or are arrivingSays Bloomberg.
It is unclear whether and how Trump will want to intervene and, depending on the decisions, different weapons will be used. Yesterday the president gathered his national security team for a meeting in Location Room of the White House.
The administration, meanwhile, is increasing military resources for U.S. Central Command, which oversees operations in the Pentagon in the region. And the forces already present in the area include naval and air capabilities that could play a crucial role in any U.S. action against Iran.
La Islamic Republic has already suffered its worst attack in decades, with the Israeli attacks to the country's nuclear and military infrastructure that damaged key facilities and killed high-level personnel.
What is the MOP and how would it work, to be used for the Iranian underground bunker?
A weapon, however, is considered particularly effective if the situation were to escalate and require direct US involvement. This is the so-called MOP (Massive Ordnance Penetrator), better known as the “bunker buster”: it weighs 30.000 pounds and is the precision weapon largest in the world. The bomb GPS guided, assembled by the Boeing Co. , has been repeatedly advertised as the only weapon capable of dealing a decisive blow to Tehran's nuclear ambitions, in particular with a victorious attack on Fordow enrichment site, highly protected.
Many experts believe that only the MOP, a weapon I have in my possession only the United States, could damage Fordow, Iran's uranium enrichment site, hidden under a mountain and believed to be buried at a depth of between 60 and 90 metres.
Each “bunker-busting bomb” can be targeted and released independently, “making it possible to execute a MOP directly on top of another MOP,” he told Bloomberg Rebecca Grant, an analyst at the Lexington Institute. Grant said that the drone surveillance in the area could also help the military “fine-tune the attack” at the last minute and noted that Iranian nuclear facilities such as Fordow have been studied by the United States for years.
The political-military consequences of the use of the Mop super bomb
The decision whether or not to use that weapon is set to be one of Trump’s most crucial. The bomb could alter Iran’s decision-making process over its nuclear program, and because its deployment would involve American planes and pilots, it would place the United States at the center of offensive military action.
“If Israel can achieve its goal of nullifying Iran's nuclear force through its own operations, that would be the best solution,” said Daniel Shapiro, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel and former deputy assistant secretary of defense. “But if Israel can hit the facility Fordow “If U.S. participation is necessary, the issue must be considered by President Trump.”
The use of MOP would imply theemployment of another crucial military aircraft, the stealth bomber B-2, which can carry two. The B-2 would fly thousands of miles from Whiteman Air Force Base, in Missouri, to drop bombs in the heart of Iran.
The United States had already demonstrated the power of its B-2 fleet in October, when the bombers took off from Whiteman to strike the Houthi weapons installations, supported by Iran, buried underground. Earlier this year, six B-2s they were spotted on a runway of theDiego Garcia Island, in the Indian Ocean, in a deployment that was widely interpreted as a message to both Iran and the Houthis. The Air Force said the planes returned to base in May.
The US force already deployed in the area: from tankers, to aircraft carriers, to fighters
The US Central Command, which oversees the long-standing US military presence in the Middle East, would play a key role in any operation against Iran, with responsibility for a force distributed across multiple countries, among which Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, and drawing on troops from various military services and special operations forces.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has “ordered the deployment of additional capabilities” to the command. The administration is sending up to 20 tanker aircraft for refueling in flight KC-135s and new KC-46s at undisclosed locations, according to a defense official, helping to extend the reach of U.S. air power.
Such resources would offer Trump greater flexibility in determining its course of action. U.S. personnel in the region, including U.S. militaryArmy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy, amounts to 40.000-45.000 units, according to the most recent data from the Central Command.
Also the Marina is set to play a crucial role, with resources that can facilitate any action against Iran and which have already been deployed to help protect Israel from attacks by retaliationThe attack group of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson It is in the region of mar Arabian for seven months. The ship carries about 3.000 sailors, according to the Navy, with another 2.000 in its air flock. The latter boasts a wide range of military equipment, including the F-35 and F-18 fighter jets, EA-18 aircraft able to interrupt the radar and enemy communication systems, the E-2D equipped with advanced radar to help precisely identify faster threats, as well as Osprey tiltrotor aircraft and Sea Hawk helicopters.
In addition to the main aircraft carrier, the group also includes a guided missile cruiser, the USS Princeton, and destroyer missile launchers. Another strike group led by the USS Nimitz is scheduled to relieve the Vinson and is currently engaged in the Indo-Pacific, providing additional forces. The Navy has three Aegis missile defense destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean: the USS Arleigh Burke, the USS The Sullivans and the USS Thomas Hudner, with two more to be added soon, according to a defense official. Two more destroyers are in the Red Sea.
A U.S. official said the Arleigh Burke and Sullivans launched several SM-3 missile interceptors over the weekend to help defend Israel. An Army unit in the region also launched THAAD interceptors against Iranian ballistic missiles, another official said.
Nato bases in Italy on pre-alert
Attention is also being paid to Italy's NATO sites, which are now considered less of a foothold in the Mediterranean. According to confidential Defense sources, in recent weeks military activity at the bases in Sigonella, Aviano e loving her has increased significantly. If the Atlantic alliance decides to intervene more directly to contain Tehran or to protect the energy routes of the Suez Canal and the Red Sea, it will be our territory to host logistical and military operations.
In particular, the Sicilian base of Sigonella, already at the centre of US operations in Libya, Syria and Iraq, represents the hub of any surveillance, interception and supply activities. They are 120 NATO bases in Italy, of different nature and management, divided into 4 categories, to which 20 secret bases added of the United States, whose location is not known for security reasons. A Sigonella the command for real-time monitoring of ground troops is located here and from here the surveillance drones that monitor the Ukrainian borders today depart. Naples one of the two NATO command centers is located there (the other is in the Netherlands), the US submarine base in the Mediterranean, as well as the US Air Force and Marines command. Finally, Aviano and Ghedi there are some atomic bombs B61-3, B61-4 and B61-7. The Aviano base is used by the US Air Force, while the Ghedi base is used by Italy. The atomic bombs are US, but in case of war they can also be launched by Italian aircraft.
