Six B-2 stealth bombers departed from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri and are flying toward a US Air Force base in Guam, Fox News reported on Saturday, citing flight tracking data and air traffic control traffic estimates. Experts cited by the US-based media network say the bombers likely refuelled during flight, implying that they probably departed with less fuel to support a heavy payload — likely bunker-buster bombs.
Why Bunker-Busters Matter
According to the report, the American B-2 bomber is capable of delivering two enormous 15-ton bunker-busting bombs, a capability unique to the US. Such bombs are intended to penetrate deep underground in heavily protected buried facilities before exploding. Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital, “Destroying [Fordow] from the air is a job only the US can do.”
Fordow is one of Iran’s most heavily defended nuclear facilities and a possible target, the report said.
Speaking with Fox News, Jonathan Ruhe, JINSA Foreign Policy Director, clarified the use of bombs where gravity helps them “penetrate through any combination of earth, rock, and concrete before the bomb itself then detonates” underground. He further told the US-based media network that the explosion could annihilate the target completely or “collapse the structure” but not annihilate it completely.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military released footage showing damage to Iran’s Isfahan nuclear facility following renewed strikes as the conflict entered its ninth day, the BBC reported.
The IDF claimed to have struck “centrifuge production facilities”, that are used for uranium enrichment.
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Trump’s Return Amid Looming National Security Briefings
President Donald Trump will be returning to the White House on Saturday afternoon. Throughout the weekend, he will be receiving National Security Council intelligence briefings while he considers potential US actions against Iran in its conflict with Israel.
Trump recently called out Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard over her March testimony that there’s “no evidence” Iran is developing a nuclear weapon. Gabbard responded to media coverage, reportedly saying, “The dishonest media is willfully taking my testimony out of context and disseminating fake news as a method to create division.”
“America has intelligence that Iran is at the point where it can build a nuclear weapon in weeks to months, if they choose to complete the assembly. President Trump has made clear that can’t happen, and I concur,” she wrote in a post on X.
Fresh US Sanctions on Iran
Though there has been no direct American military action as yet, the US State Department imposed sanctions on Tehran on Friday. According to the report, the fresh sanctions were slapped on eight entities and one individual allegedly working on procuring and exporting sensitive equipment from China for Iran’s defense sector.
