Trump Warns of Imminent US Strike on Iran’s Fordow Nuclear Site

US President Donald Trump declared that Iran is eager to reach an agreement with the United States, but the US administration is currently not interested in holding talks. Speaking to reporters during a meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun at Beit HaLevi, Trump emphasized that Tehran also wants to meet with Washington. He warned, "Iran has not seen anything yet," and announced, "We will soon attack the Fordow nuclear site in Iran." Trump confirmed that the US blockade on Iranian ports will continue, maintaining pressure on Tehran.

Trump reiterated that Iran will not acquire nuclear weapons and vowed to strike any Iranian facility producing nuclear arms. He criticized former President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal as a pathway for Iran to obtain nuclear weapons and estimated that Iran’s recovery would take 20 to 25 years.

The Fordow site, located about 1.5 kilometers south of the Natanz enrichment complex, is a strategic underground tunnel system carved into hard granite rock at depths of 100 to 135 meters, making it highly resistant to airstrikes. Despite its importance, Fordow has not been targeted in recent operations due to operational challenges, high costs, and uncertainty about its current use. Initially, Fordow stored centrifuges and equipment that were not installed or operational, so attacks there did not significantly delay Iran’s nuclear program. However, Iran has since moved centrifuges and equipment from other damaged nuclear sites to Fordow, though active uranium enrichment there has not been confirmed.

An effective strike would require precise intelligence on the location of centrifuges and production halls inside the mountain. Inaccurate attacks might only cause shock without destroying the protected infrastructure. The US possesses the capability to conduct such an operation using B-2 bombers and GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs. The previous US strike on the Fordow-like Fordow site used 14 bombs out of a stock of about 20, indicating that a similar future operation would require replenishing munitions and complex logistical preparations.