US moves B-2 bombers capable of destroying underground nuclear facilities as Israel-Iran conflict continues

21 June 2025, 17:49 | Updated: 22 June 2025, 08:46

The B2 stealth bomber aircraft are the only warplanes capable of deploying the US's 'bunker busting' bombs
The B-2 stealth bomber aircraft are the only warplanes capable of deploying the US's 'bunker busting' bombs. Picture: Alamy

By Jennifer Kennedy

The only aircraft capable of delivering the 'bunker-buster bomb' that could destroy Iran's nuclear facilities appear to have been deployed to a military base in the Indian Ocean.

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The American B-2 stealth bombers left Whiteman Air Force base in Missouri on Saturday and appeared to be crossing the Pacific towards Diego Garcia or a US military base in Guam.

The military bases are within range of Iran for the B-2 bombers, which are believed to be the only aircraft capable of deploying 'bunker-busting' bombs.

These bombs - which explode twice, once to breach the ground surface and again once they have penetrated deep underground - could destroy Iran's underground nuclear facility, the Fordow plant.

The plant is one of three key pieces of nuclear infrastructure in Iran.

The aircraft were using the call sign "MYTEE21", which has previously been associated with stealth bomber missions. They were accompanied by eight supply planes.

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A GBU-57, or the Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb, at Whiteman Air Base in Missouri.
A GBU-57, or the Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb, at Whiteman Air Base in Missouri. Picture: Alamy

The B-2 bombers are capable of delivering the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, also known as the bunker-buster bomb.

The 13,000kg GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bomb is capable of penetrating up to 60m below the surface. The Fordow plant is thought to be 80-90m deep, meaning that it is likely multiple strikes would be required to destroy it.

The US would require British permission to launch strikes from Diego Garcia, over which the UK maintains sovereignty.

This would not be necessary if they deployed the warplanes from the US military base in Guam.

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he would make a decision on whether to strike Iran "in the next two weeks."

President Donald Trump speaks with reporters upon arriving at Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, N.J., Friday, June 20, 2025.
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters upon arriving at Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, N.J., Friday, June 20, 2025. Picture: Alamy

However, he said on Friday that Iran had a "maximum" of two weeks to avoid the possibility of US airstrikes by engaging in negotiations, suggesting that he could make a decision before the two-week time frame he set on Thursday.

The deployment of the B-2 bombers further suggests that the US president may be willing to launch a strike sooner than his original deadline.

Mr Trump said on Friday he believed Iran would be able to develop a nuclear weapon “within a matter of weeks, or certainly within a matter of months”.

He added: “We can’t let that happen.”

The conflict between Iran and Israel continues, with both sides launching further strikes overnight. The Israeli military announced a new wave of attacks against Iranian missile storage and launch sites.

Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, on Saturday, June 21, 2025.
Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, on Saturday, June 21, 2025. Picture: Alamy

Israel Katz, Israel’s defence minister, also said the military had killed Saeed Izadi, a veteran Iranian military commander, in a strike on an apartment in the Iranian city of Qom.

According to Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, Izadi financed and armed Hamas during its attacks on Israel on October 7.

Israel's Defence Force (IDF) described him as “one of the architects” of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, terror attacks, “and among the few who knew of it prior to its execution".

Katz hailed his death as a "major achievement for Israeli intelligence and the Air Force."

At least 430 people have been killed and 3,500 injured in Iran since Israel launched its attacks on June 13, according to the Iranian health ministry.

In Israel, 24 civilians have been killed by Iranian missile strikes.

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