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Which 'unique' weapons did the US use in its strikes on Iran?
The US military struck three sites in Iran early Sunday, joining Israel’s war against the country in a risky gambit that could spark a much wider regional conflict.
The decision to directly involve the US comes after more than a week of strikes by Israel on Iran that have moved to eradicate the country’s air defences and missile capabilities, while damaging its nuclear enrichment facilities.
US and Israeli officials have said that only American stealth bombers and the massive GBU-57 bunker buster bombs they alone can carry can destroy facilities connected to the Iranian nuclear program, which are buried deep underground.
Before the strikes, Israel put heavy pressure on the Trump administration to come to its aid in the war on Iran.
The New Arab takes a look at the weapons the US it used in its attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator – used for the first time
Early on Sunday President Donald Trump claimed to have “obliterated” Iran’s Fordo nuclear fuel enrichment plan, which had previously suffered limited damage from Israeli strikes.
The US military used a new type of “bunker-buster” bomb in its attack on the Fordo plant, which is built deep into a mountain- the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetration.
The GBU-57 is a 30,000-pound (13,600 kg) bunker-busting American bomb which uses its weight and sheer kinetic force to penetrate underground and then explode. Saturday’s strikes were the first time it has been used in combat.
Its ability to penetrate the earth before exploding sets it apart from other missiles and multiplies its impact exponentially.
It is designed to penetrate up to about 18 meters of concrete or 61 meters of earth before detonating, making it uniquely suited to attack underground targets.
A US official told The New York Times that a total of 8 GBU-57s were used – six on Fordo and two on Natanz.
B-2 Stealth bombers
The GBU-57 buster bunkers were delivered by B-2 stealth bombers. Each of these can carry two GBU-57 and reports emerged on Saturday that multiple B-2s were heading west from the Pacific to the Middle East.
The B-2’s stealth capabilities allow it to evade radar and deliver heavy payloads deep into enemy territory. B-2s reportedly also flew straight from the US to the Middle East, with one flying for 37 hours straight from Missouri, according to the New York Times.
Tomahawk missiles
US submarines also participated in the attacks in Iran, launching about 30 Tomahawk land attack missiles.
The Tomahawk is a long range missile which can be fired from sea-going vessels. The US Navy says it can hover over a target area and respond to changes on the ground, giving the military the flexibility to attack fixed targets and gather information.
They were first used in the 1991 Gulf War against Iraq and later in Libya and Syria.
It is not clear exactly which targets the missiles were aimed at, but two Iranian nuclear sites besides Fordo were attacked, Isfahan and Natanz.
Agencies contributed to this report.