To GBU-57 or Not GBU-57, is that the Question?

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/ ^ | Jun. 21, 2025 | John Mills

[bitt]

A debate is reaching a crescendo in Washington D.C. Does America become actively involved to finish off Iran or not. However, this is a false narrative that many are falling for. Presidents need a range of options, not simply “bomb or not bomb”. Israel has not reached the end of the two-week campaign they announced on June 12. The Israelis have eliminated almost every leadership personality except for the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. Yes, Iran is returning some fire, but it’s a pittance in return for the escalation dominance the Israelis have demonstrated.

The compelling need for immediate American action is not clear. Fortunately, Steve Bannon had lunch with President Trump which has pumped the brakes on those pushing immediate action. President Trump has announced a two week decision period, some late night hosts have made fun of this, but it is a wise increment of time. Imprudent National Security leaders are rushed and easily fall prey to “JDAMS/Tomahawk Giddiness”. Putting a Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAMS) or Tomahawk on target is easy, visual, and satisfying. One problem with that. It is not the end state and does not resolve matters. Few ask, what is next?

The Real Question on Iran – What’s Next? When making complex decisions in volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) situations, it is the duty of the national security professional to ask what is next – repeatedly. If you cannot clearly answer the “What’s next?” question for the next three to five iterations – it means the decision memorandum is not ready to bring to the President.

[bitt]

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[BenLurkin]

Don’t the Israelis have airmobile units? Theymcan storm it like Fort Ében-Émael.

[brownsfan]

I’m not smart enough, nor do I have access to the information that the government has regarding this. Fortunately, our president is capable of making reasonable decisions, unlike the potato head before him.

I’m along for the ride at this point.

[lonestar67]

The dumb thing about all these debates is that the endless war narrative espoused by libertarians and the hard left is due to the lack of force.

Endless war is consequent to military half measures that refuse to treat enemies as anything more than misguided friends.

That is the problem. We are not at war with Japan because we struck them so bad and there was no compromise. We easily have the power to crush the enemy that is Iran. It is absurd fiction to pretend the contrary.

[Regulator]

As the FSO who was held hostage said to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard when he asked what would happen if Reagan got elected...the answer was, “Boom”

[SteelPSUGOP]

The “within 2 weeks” probably came straight from Israel

[verum ago]

Don’t the Israelis have airmobile units?

Yup. And that's the sort of action this should come down to.

The Iranians have enriched a lot of uranium to weapons grade. We're talking about a material about 8 times harder than iron, with a melting point of over 2000 degrees, and a toughness comparable to steel. Collapsing the tunnels it's in doesn't mean it magically ceases to exist. It just means the Iranians have to tunnel back in to retrieve it, but clearly they're capable of doing that since they excavated the tunnels in the first damned place! And given that U-235 has a half life of over 700 million years, it's not like waiting for the enriched material to decay back out of usably enriched status is a practical option either.

It's driving me nuts that so many people seem to see bombing Fordo as some sort of permanent victory. It's not. It's a temporary stopgap. It doesn't get rid of the enriched uranium sitting down there, and excavating back through bombed tunnels is not exactly an intractable engineering problem.

To undo what the Iranians have accomplished so far, someone needs to physically confiscate that enriched uranium, else it's just a resource to be recovered once the current conflict dies down.

Yes, bombing can wreck their enrichment equipment, but it's pretty clear at this point they have enough for multiple weapons, and that's pretty damn unacceptable. A bombing campaign merely postpones the use of that material, but it doesn't remove it from their access, control, and ultimate utilization.

[jjotto]

https://www.timesofisrael.com/120-commandos-deep-inside-syria-idf-reveals-daring-raid-on-iranian-missile-factory/

[plain talk]

“I’m not smart enough, nor do I have access to the information that the government has regarding this. Fortunately, our president is capable of making reasonable decisions, unlike the potato head before him.”

Among the wisest comments I’ve seen yet at this site on this topic.

[CodeToad]

W77

[Grampa Dave]

Ditto’s:

“I’m not smart enough, nor do I have access to the information that the government has regarding this.

Fortunately, our president is capable of making reasonable decisions, unlike the potato head before him.

I’m along for the ride at this point.”

[DesertRhino]

“ is that the endless war narrative espoused by libertarians and the hard left is due to the lack of force.”

“War me harder daddy”

[Bob Ireland]

***We easily have the power to crush the enemy that is Iran. It is absurd fiction to pretend the contrary***

True... but is it necessary? An interesting scenario is playing out before our eyes and the pathway is not clear. POTUS has taken a pause until July 3 to make a decision. Meantime a 5.3 force earthquake has intervened - intervened near Qom which is near the Fordow deep buried nuclear site.

Could this be a warning of God to the Ayatollah to repent and relent? Pride goeth before ... a fall and June is Pride Month (in popular parlance). July 3 is after Pride Month. I pray that the Ayatollah repents, and if he does not that a greater quake will follow that will seal off the Fordow site for ever.

Pharaoh hardened his heart and his 'pride' was destroyed when the Red Sea closed over his armies. I suspect that the Ayatollah is on a short leash - and July 1-3 is 'crunch time' for him to make a decision. The Pentagon has advised that for a 'bunker buster' bomb to be effective at Fordow, it must be a nuclear device. Prez Trump does NOT want to use a nuclear device, ever..

It could be a matter of our prayers, lonestar. 🙏🙏🙏

[JohnBovenmyer]

>someone needs to physically confiscate that enriched uranium

AND a) burn it in a western nuclear power plant and/or b) mix it with regular uranium down to a significantly less enriched percentage.

[Jim Noble]

The real question is where does the War Power of the United States reside in the Constitution?

Let me quote: “The Congress of the United States AUTHORIZES AND DIRECTS the President….” - December 8, 1941

[tired&retired]

Should be FU-from 47

[Bob Ireland]

***China is conducting a mini-Berlin Airlift to sustain the regime. What is being flown to Iran? Gordon Chang has posited that they could be viable nuclear warheads for the remaining Iranian ballistic missiles sourced from China***

Gordon Chang, very well informed, is virulently anti-China and CCP... which is good as far as it goes. Personally, I doubt China would be this aggressive to get militarily involved in a potential war scenario with the U.S. It would not only be foolish but it would interfere with their current primary objective: gaining control over Taiwan.

China can have no doubt of Prez Trump's determination to maintain America's status as a global super power. I really doubt that China is ready to directly challenge that status for the U.S.

As far as I know, Israel has been careful not to challenge the oil production facilities of Iran. A 'new' non-nuclear Iranian regime could continue to supply China with oil and its derivatives... a prosperous enterprise for a new government!

[lonestar67]

Did you cheer against America during ww2?

It seems a fair question.

[lonestar67]

As a Christian I believe that is possible. I’m completely receptive to the probability you describe.

At the same time God can use US military power to destroy evil. The weird insistence that U.S. political action cannot accord to Gods will bewilders me.

There is a clear pathological concert of jacobin and yes frankly anti Christian intellectual interests that demonize U.S. hegemony in order to give comfort to Evil.

In the same way Paul invoked his political power as a Roman citizen, we can make political moves that advance Gods will. Christianity has been growing in Iran and their liberation is an important looming reality in all of this.