President Donald Trump has refused to say whether the U.S. will use direct military force against Iran to stop it from getting a nuclear weapon, but one top security expert is sounding the alarm that taking out Iran’s nuclear threat "is a job only the U.S. can do."
Israel launched a series of strikes against Iran beginning overnight on Thursday, and according to the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog, the Natanz nuclear facility’s underground structures, some 36 feet underground, did see "direct impact" from the strikes, though the extent of damage remains unclear.
However, Israel did not strike the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant – which is believed to be capable of producing a nuclear warhead in as little as two to three days, according to the Institute for Science and International Security – likely because Israel does not possess the military capabilities it would take to strike the Fordow facility, which is reported to be up to 300 feet underground.
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"Fordow is not the only remaining important nuclear facility, but it’s the most dangerous," Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital. "Destroying it from the air is a job only the U.S. can do."
The Fordow nuclear facility is believed to be Iran’s most heavily protected nuclear site, built deep into mountain bedrock and divided into two enrichment halls capable of holding some 3,000 centrifuges.
The only way to penetrate this facility may be by using a 30,000-pound bomb, known as the "bunker buster," a GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) specifically designed to penetrate deeply buried targets, though even this capability is estimated to have a reach of some 200 feet, according to publicly available information.
Dubowitz explained that to "inflict real damage" more than just bunker-busting munitions are needed, including "stealth delivery platforms like the B-2 Spirit bomber to penetrate advanced air defenses and deliver the MOP" as well as precision Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) "to ensure you’re not just damaging outer entrances or fake decoys."
"Only the United States possesses the full spectrum," he told Fox News Digital. Israel, despite its unmatched regional capability and world-class Air Force, does not yet have the MOP or the platforms to deliver it.
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"It’s F-35I Adirs and F-15I Ra’ams can inflict serious damage – but penetrating Fordow fully remains beyond current Israeli capability without U.S. cooperation or creative alternatives like internal sabotage or specialized ordnance," he added.
Trump took to Truth Social on Tuesday to tout the U.S. military's capabilities, saying, "We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran. Iran had good sky trackers and other defensive equipment, and plenty of it, but it doesn’t compare to American made, conceived, and manufactured ‘stuff.’
"Nobody does it better than the good ol’ USA," he added.
The White House did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions about whether the president is considering a direct hit on Iranian soil, though he has repeatedly said Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon and on Monday issued an ominous warning and said, "everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran."
Earlier on Monday, the president told reporters he "didn’t want to talk about it" when asked what it would take for the U.S. to get "directly involved" in the Israel-Iran conflict.
However, he left the G7 meeting in Canada one day early to address the ongoing conflict and told reporters aboard Air Force One that he is looking for a "real end" to the conflict.
"I’m not looking at a ceasefire. We’re looking at better than a ceasefire," he said, adding, "I’m not too much in the mood to negotiate."
Trump is expected to be in the Situation Room today, but any upcoming attack by the U.S. or Israel on Iran remains unconfirmed.
Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon told "Fox and Friends" on Tuesday that "as we speak, our planes, our air force is acting in Iran right now," adding, "we have very impressive results on the ground."
"We will continue, and you will see more results. But you know when you look at the side of Israel and compare[d] to the side Iran, we are a tiny country…9 million people compared to 90 million Iranians," he added. "So, we have limited capabilities, but we punch high."
