B-2 stealth bombers deploy to Guam amid rising tensions with Iran
The United States mobilizes six B-2 bombers capable of carrying bunker-buster bombs as Trump returns to White House.
A total of six U.S. Air Force B-2 stealth bombers have departed from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri and appeared to be heading to Guam in response to escalating tensions over Iran's nuclear program. Flight data and radio communications indicate that the bombers refueled after initiating their path in part due to their heft payload, prompting speculation that they were carrying some of the largest bunker-burst bombs.
The flight of the bombers coincides with President Donald Trump returning to the White House after the holiday weekend to receive national security briefing on the standoff with Tehran and decide how the U.S. will proceed.
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Bombers equipped for hardened targets
The B-2 can carry two 15-ton bunker-buster bombs that have the ability to penetrate deep into hardened targets, which would be a top choice for targeting Iran's most hardened nuclear site at Fordow. Defense analyst Mark Dubowitz explained in an interview with Fox News Digital that only the United States has the capability of destroying Fordow by aerial attack.
Jonathan Ruhe, an expert at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, has termed such weapons to rely on gravity to penetrate earth, rock, and concrete before detonation. Even if the bomb destroyed its target, the collapse that followed would render the facility useless.
Trump considers next steps as rhetoric intensifies
While Trump prepares to sit with his National Security Council, he has indicated that he will not allow Iran to get a nuclear weapon. Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard testified recently that there was "no evidence" Iran was close to assembling a bomb, something that was derided publicly by Trump. Gabbard later refused to back down, asserting that her comments had been taken out of context.
While so far no direct American assaults, Washington imposed new sanctions on Iran this week on eight companies and one individual for their role in acquiring proliferation-sensitive materials from China. The move indicates America's toughening line as tensions with Tehran escalate.
