On Saturday, June 21, according to flight tracking data and voice communication with air traffic control, six B-2 stealth bombers from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri appear to be flying towards the U.S. Air Force base in Guam.
According to a report by Fox News, experts observing and analyzing the situation noted that these fifth-generation stealth strategic bombers took off from Missouri and had to refuel mid-flight, indicating that they may have been carrying heavy loads (possibly bunker buster bombs) causing their tanks not to be full during takeoff.
The Jerusalem Post also cited flight tracking data on Saturday, reporting that two American B-2 stealth strategic bombers departed from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri headed for Guam.
Each B-2 bomber is capable of carrying two 15-ton Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bunker buster bombs, a type of bomb currently possessed only by the United States. Experts believe these bombs are crucial for targeting Iran’s heavily fortified Fordow underground nuclear facility.
Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News that “only the United States has the capability to destroy Fordow from the air.”
According to Jonathan Ruhe, Director of Foreign Policy at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), the design objective of these bunker buster bombs is to use gravity to “penetrate any mixed layers of soil, rock, and concrete and then explode after drilling into the underground target.” He explained that the purpose of bunker buster bombs is to completely destroy underground targets, with the fallback plan being to “collapse the target structure” if total destruction is not achieved.
President Trump has indicated that a decision on whether the United States will intervene in the Iran crisis will be made within two weeks. He is expected to return to the White House on Saturday afternoon. Over the weekend, the President is set to receive intelligence briefings from the National Security Council and consider possible military action against Iran.
Earlier this week, Trump escalated pressure on Iran. On Thursday, he gave a two-week timeline for diplomatic efforts. On Friday, he hinted at potentially shortening the deadline while also suggesting that he may support a ceasefire during negotiations. However, Trump noted that it is difficult to ask Israel to cease fire when they are on the brink of victory.
Iran has demanded a halt to attacks before entering negotiations, which Israel has refused.
Although the United States has not directly intervened in the current military conflict between Israel and Iran, the U.S. State Department announced sanctions against the Tehran regime on Friday. The sanctions target eight entities, one Chinese individual, and a ship for their involvement in procuring and transporting highly sensitive nuclear equipment for Iran’s defense industry from China.