Will the US intervene in the Israel-Iran conflict? Will Iran surrender? As Israel continues to dismantle Iran’s nuclear capabilities, albeit with limited success, there are indications that President Donald Trump may get the US forces involved in the five-day war and compel Iran to surrender.
The Israeli military has already destroyed one of Iran's most secretive and secure nuclear facilities, the Natanz nuclear complex.
It also caused significant damage to another nuclear enrichment facility in Isfahan.
But the Israeli forces haven’t been able to penetrate the heavily fortified Fordow nuclear facility.
Built deep into a mountain about 95 kilometres southwest of Tehran, the facility has managed to withstand a barrage of drone and missile attacks.
But only one conventional weapon can destroy it: the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb. Also known as the bunker-buster, these bombs are designed to pierce 60 metres of rock.
And only one country in the world has possession of this lethal weapon, the United States.
US On The Move?
On the 16th of June, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the US Central Command in the Middle East has been directed to ‘deploy additional capabilities’.
He said it was being done to enhance America’s ‘defensive posture in the region’.
A day after Hegseth’s statement, reports surfaced that the US moved an aircraft carrier, the USS Nimitz, from the South China Sea to the Middle East.
Nimitz will join the USS Carl Vinson carrier, which is already operating relatively close to Iran, around the Arabian Sea.
The Nimitz carries a contingent of fighter jets and is escorted by several guided missile destroyers.
Three fighter jets, the F-16, F-22 and F-35, have also been moved to US military bases in the Middle East.
To support the fighter jets, at least 30 refuelling planes have been stationed in southern Europe.
So far, no official confirmation has been provided about the sudden deployment to the Middle East.
Fordow Nuke Base
Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan facilities form the core of Iran’s nuclear programme.
Fordo is Iran’s second nuclear enrichment facility after Natanz.
Fordo is believed to be smaller than Natanz, and is built into the side of a mountain near the city of Qom, about 95 kilometres southwest of Tehran. It is believed to be 80 to 9 metres below the mountain.
According to reports, Tehran began its construction around 2006, and the facility became operational in 2009, the same year the regime publicly acknowledged its existence.
The heavily fortified site is believed to have been the Iranian and Russian surface-to-air missile systems.
Israel’s National Security Advisor Hanegbi told a local news channel, N12 News, that Tel Aviv’s operation “won’t end without hitting the Fordow nuclear facility”.
While there have been indications of a possible US intervention, Donald Trump said that America’s patience was wearing thin.
