U.S. Bombs Not Strong Enough To Destroy Iran's Nuclear Program, Report Says (Need Bigger Ones!!...) [View all]

[Purveyor]

The United States does not possess conventional armament powerful enough to destroy Iran's deeply hidden nuclear facilities, U.S. officials told the Wall Street Journal late Friday, with American Defense Secretary Leon Panetta saying Washington was "still trying" to develop more powerful bombs.

Late last year, Bloomberg reported that the U.S. Air Force received new 15-ton bombs capable of destroying deep underground bunkers, ahead of a possible attack on Iran's nuclear plants.

The bombs, designed to be delivered by B-2 stealth bombers and called Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOP), "will meet requirements for the current operational need," U.S. Air Force spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jack Miller said in a statement in November.

However, speaking to the Wall Street Journal on Friday, U.S. officials estimated that even the 15-ton bombs would not be powerful to put a full stop to Iran's nuclear program, either because of some of the facilities' depth or their newly added fortifications.

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http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/u-s-bombs-not-strong-enough-to-destroy-iran-s-nuclear-program-report-says-1.409607