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Israel can take out Fordow without bunker busters: Sometimes, doing things incrementally is every bit as effective as doing them in a big way, all at once
American Thinker ^ | 06/20/2025 | Ted Noel

Posted on 06/20/2025 8:24:58 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

The Iranian government put its key nuclear facility about 300 feet below ground at Fordow. A quick look at the area with Google Earth shows that it’s a mountainous area, and all that rock over the enrichment facility would seem to be pretty good protection. But just like a police officer wearing body armor, the appearance of invulnerability is deceiving.

The United States put NORAD’s facility about 2,000 feet below the top of Cheyenne Mountain for the same reason. The granite overhead offers great protection from attack, with Cheyenne Mountain designed to withstand a 30-megaton nuclear blast from 1.2 miles away. While rocks at Cheyenne Mountain provides decent protection, the 300 feet of limestone at Fordow isn’t as good. But, still, it’s better than nothing.

Most commentary revolves around US “bunker buster” bombs. One friend commented that the protocol is to drop one bomb, then follow it with a laser guided bomb into the same hole and continue until you see a Chinaman looking back up through the hole. Obviously, such a procedure would shake things up at Fordow so badly that those centrifuges wouldn’t work. But that requires heavy-lift aircraft such as US B-2s or Israeli C-130s. The Hercules will do the job, and Israeli air defense suppression would make the trip feasible. But it’s probably unnecessary.

An underground facility is a little bit like a submarine. It is isolated from the rest of the world under an inhospitable medium. Whether it’s water or rock doesn’t make much difference. It requires energy, which it must either generate or get from outside. A nuclear submarine generates its own energy. If Fordow has a reactor, it might also. Or it may have diesel generators. It may get power from the grid outside. None of these makes any difference to my scenario.

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Iran; Israel; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bunkerbuster; iran; nobombsneeded; nukes
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1 posted on 06/20/2025 8:24:58 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

What would be the possibility of landing a commando team near site and taking it out with conventional explosives the commandos bring with them.

Perhaps it’s not possible or maybe a last resort.


2 posted on 06/20/2025 8:32:04 AM PDT by srmanuel
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To: SeekAndFind

This guy’s proposal is just to plug the doors and ventilation thereby killing everyone inside. To me, the obvious flaw is that the joint could be reopened after that following some fairly basic earth-moving work. This does not sound like much of a plan.


3 posted on 06/20/2025 8:38:23 AM PDT by Stingray51 ( )
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Arthur Wildfire! March; Berosus; Bockscar; BraveMan; cardinal4; ...
Yeah, the current troll farm 'prop on this is, Israel can't get a bunker buster from the US, so Fordow is invulnerable; or, that the US will start WWIII if it drops a bunker buster on Fordow; and that the Iranians are ruled by a peaceful and democratic Islamic state...

4 posted on 06/20/2025 8:38:47 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Putin should skip ahead to where he kills himself in the bunker.)
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To: SeekAndFind

There’s rocks above, right?Instead of blowing UP the facility, move all that rock overhead to crumble and bury the facility with al access, and air exchange areas, now under many kilometers/pounds of rock on top?
No fear of radiation spewing from big bombs.l


5 posted on 06/20/2025 8:42:07 AM PDT by Terry L Smith
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To: SeekAndFind

The ultimate result would be to take it intact so we can see and document for the world the level of their technology.


6 posted on 06/20/2025 8:42:24 AM PDT by HonorInPa
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To: SeekAndFind
"...and continue until you see a Chinaman looking back up through the hole."

That would be terribly aimed. The metaphor is funny, but the correct location is a point in the South Atlantic Ocean around 150 miles off the coast of Uruguay (yeah... I guess I'm "that guy"... sorry).

7 posted on 06/20/2025 8:43:14 AM PDT by alancarp (George Orwell was an optimist.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Bury them alive. We know where the entrances are. Just keep hitting the entrances every hour like clock work for 24 hours. Wait a couple days until you see rescue efforts and do it again. Every time you see activity do it again. You can get rid of an Anthill by being persistent at the entrance. Sooner or later they will abandon it.


8 posted on 06/20/2025 8:43:28 AM PDT by Openurmind (AI - An Illusion for Aptitude Intrusion to Alter Intellect. )
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To: SeekAndFind

Within Fordow there are uranium preparations in various forms. Whoever “takes out” the facility runs the risk of starting fires that may in all likelyhood spew forth radiation. That radiaion will contaminate the land and the water supply. The world despite the reason for the bombing will hold the bombers responsible. Muslims in particular will be outraged. If there is a better way to dismantle this site ( regime change, negotiation etc)it should definitely be considered carefully.


9 posted on 06/20/2025 8:43:32 AM PDT by allendale
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To: SeekAndFind

..⁰0


10 posted on 06/20/2025 8:44:23 AM PDT by sauropod (Make sure Satan has to climb over a lot of Scripture to get to you. John MacArthur Ne supra crepidam)
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To: SeekAndFind

Seal up the entrances and let everyone inside suffocate or starve.

L


11 posted on 06/20/2025 8:45:17 AM PDT by Lurker ( Peaceful coexistence with the Left is not possible. Stop pretending that it is.)
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To: Stingray51

“ To me, the obvious flaw is that the joint could be reopened after that following some fairly basic earth-moving work.”

That depends on who is doing the work. If it’s the same regime you’re correct. If it’s an inspection team from the US then it’s a different matter entirely.

L


12 posted on 06/20/2025 8:47:52 AM PDT by Lurker ( Peaceful coexistence with the Left is not possible. Stop pretending that it is.)
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To: Lurker

nothing like a siege of the stronghold... with a simultaneous and systematic pogram above ground.


13 posted on 06/20/2025 8:49:20 AM PDT by MIA_eccl1212 (10-10-10-10)
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To: SeekAndFind

The need is to destroy the building but also destroy the equipment inside rendering all of it unusable and irreparable.


14 posted on 06/20/2025 9:22:35 AM PDT by marron
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To: srmanuel

Simplest way is to go to the air intakes and start pumping in massive amounts of Nitrogen, it’s heavier than air, but a normal (78%) component of the atmosphere. It will not support life, and you feel no symptoms until you pass out. All you have to do later is ventilate and wear airpaks to go remove the bodies and salvage whatever undamaged equipment you want.


15 posted on 06/20/2025 9:35:02 AM PDT by E.Allen
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To: marron

Drill from the surface into the facility, then pump in as many tons of grout as it takes to fill the place. Mix in corrosive chemicals to ensure destruction of any equipment down there. Properly done, this would also encase the radioactive material.

This would require the IDF taking and holding the area for at least a few weeks, plus being able to transport the drilling equipment and supplies to the site.


16 posted on 06/20/2025 9:37:21 AM PDT by HartleyMBaldwin
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To: HartleyMBaldwin

That’s how they fill sinkholes. That would work, if they had time.


17 posted on 06/20/2025 9:46:28 AM PDT by marron
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To: marron

Time, yes. Couldn’t be done solely from the air.


18 posted on 06/20/2025 9:48:01 AM PDT by HartleyMBaldwin
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To: Openurmind

The problem is that this is only a temporary solution. What is buried can be unburied. Dead bodies can be moved out, equipment can be cleaned and restarted or replaced. No, the entire place needs to be destroyed, not merely buried.


19 posted on 06/20/2025 10:03:48 AM PDT by Ancesthntr ("The right to buy weapons is the right to be free." The Weapons Shops of Isher)
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To: SeekAndFind

Just have a commando team sneak up and put Super Glue in the door locks.


20 posted on 06/20/2025 10:37:12 AM PDT by TangoLimaSierra (⭐⭐To the Left, The Truth is Right Wing Violence⭐⭐)
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