America’s Secret Weapon: 15-Year Plan to Target Iran’s Fordow Exposed

U.S. military and intelligence officials have revealed that the United States began designing specialized bunker-busting bombs over 15 years ago to target Iran’s highly fortified Fordow nuclear facility. The Fordow site, buried deep under a mountain near Qom, is considered one of the most protected nuclear sites in the world.

(U.S. bunker-buster bomb targeting Iran’s underground Fordow nuclear facility, designed to highlight secret military planning and deep-earth strike capability.)

The bomb, known as the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), was developed in secret to pierce the mountain-hardened structure and destroy underground uranium enrichment facilities. The planning started during the Bush administration and continued under both Obama and Trump, evolving in capability and precision.

Officials stated that these weapons were never meant for immediate use, but were developed as part of a deterrence strategy, to convince Iran that even its most secure facilities were vulnerable. The existence of such weapons also gave the U.S. greater leverage in nuclear negotiations.

This revelation comes amid rising tensions between Iran and the U.S. over nuclear activities, with renewed discussions about Fordow’s role in uranium enrichment despite prior restrictions under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.