Overview

• Operation Rising Lion has struck Iran’s Natanz facility and eliminated senior IRGC commanders and key nuclear scientists
• The Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant remains intact 100 metres underground and is enriching uranium to about 60 percent purity
• The U.S.-exclusive Massive Ordnance Penetrator weighs 30,000 pounds and is seen as the only munition able to penetrate Fordow’s hardened structure
• Washington has aided Israel by intercepting Iranian missiles but President Trump must decide whether to deploy bunker-busters for offensive strikes
• Reciprocal missile barrages have damaged the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv and Pakistan’s threats of nuclear support for Iran underscore the risk of regional escalation