Trump’s Iran options: stealth bombers, warships and a ‘bunker buster’
As tensions escalate, the US possesses a unique bomb - the Massive Ordnance Penetrator - capable of striking deeply buried targets
US President Donald Trump has a wide range of military assets in the Middle East and across the globe to bring to bear in a potential fight against Iran as he weighs one of the most momentous foreign policy decisions of his administration.
That arsenal includes powerfully destructive bombs, long-range stealth bombers, an aircraft carrier strike group, US Navy destroyers and US troops - offering Trump multiple options if he decides to intervene more directly in support of Israel. Some resources like the B-2 bomber are in the US while other assets are either in the region or on the way.
It was unclear whether Trump will deepen US involvement beyond helping Israel defend against Iranian air attacks as he has done in recent days. On Tuesday afternoon, the president gathered his national security staff for a White House Situation Room meeting.
The administration, though, has been surging military resources to US Central Command, which oversees the Pentagon’s operations in the region. And forces already in the area include naval and air power that could play a crucial role in any US action against Iran.
The Islamic Republic has already suffered its worst assault in decades, with Israel’s strikes on the country’s nuclear and military infrastructure damaging key facilities and killing senior personnel. One weapon, though, is seen as particularly effective if the situation were to escalate and draw the direct involvement of the US.