'US bombs can't destroy buried Iran nuke plants'

[Chris]

'US bombs can't destroy buried Iran nuke plants'
By JPOST.COM STAFF 01/28/2012 05:57
US "Mass Ordnance Penetrators" fail initial testing, says 'Wall Street Journal'; Pentagon seeks to upgrade program.
B-2 Bomber, capable of carrying MOP bombs By REUTERS/Str Old

Even the heaviest US bombs are not powerful enough to destroy some of Iran's more fortified nuclear facilities, the Wall Street Journal quoted US officials as saying Friday. The Pentagon is taking steps to improve its "bunker-busting" capabilities, they added. The US's 30,000-pound (13,600 kilo) "Mass Ordnance Penetrator" (MOP) was specifically designed to be able to take out Iranian and North Korean nuclear facilities. According to the report, initial tests indicated that the bomb would be incapable of performing these tasks, either because of the depth of the facilities or their recent reinforcement.

The Journal said that the MOP's test failure prompted a secret funding request by the Pentagon to US congress, seeking to enhance the bomb's capabilities. The US Defense Department has already spent approximately $330 million so far to develop about 20 of the bombs. The Pentagon is seeking an additional $82 million for upgrading purposes, according to government officials briefed on the plan.

more.................'US bombs can't destroy buried I... JPost - Iranian Threat - News

[Chris]

U.S. bombs not strong enough to destroy Iran's nuclear program, report says
Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Defense Secretary Panetta, Pentagon officials say Washington seeking new weapons that would overcome depth of Iranian enrichment facilities, recent fortifications.
By Haaretz

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.

more..................U.S. bombs not strong enough to destroy Iran's nuclear program, report says - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

[Cricket55]

So does not Iran have some testing or producing area underground they will need to eventually move? If there is then that will be The time to strike and take it out.