Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - The United States (US) has a secret weapon that is believed to be capable of destroying Iran's underground nuclear facilities in just one hit. The weapon is the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), the deadliest bunker-busting bomb ever made by Uncle Sam's country.

This 13.6-ton bomb is specially designed to penetrate concrete and rock protection as deep as 61 meters before exploding and destroying the main target hidden deep in the ground.

"This weapon is designed with a thick steel casing, hardened steel, to penetrate this layer of rock," explained Masao Dahlgren, a missile defense researcher from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), quoted by AFP in Jakarta, Sunday (2/6/2025).

The GBU-57 is about 6.6 meters long and is equipped with a special fuse that does not explode immediately upon contact with the surface. Instead, it continues to penetrate the hard layer first, then explodes at the deepest point, right where the most sensitive target is.

Not just any aircraft can carry this weapon. Only the US B-2 Bomber stealth aircraft is capable of flying and dropping the GBU-57. Each B-2 can carry two units of the bunker-busting bomb.

Interestingly, satellite imagery shows the presence of a number of B-2 aircraft at the US military base in Diego Garcia, Indian Ocean, in early May 2025. The location is considered very strategic for launching operations in the Middle East region, including Iran.

US President Donald Trump announced that his party had just bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities. This was officially announced on Saturday (6/21/2025), US time.

In detail, US bombs hit three nuclear sites in Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan, but major damage was focused on the nuclear facility in Fordow. Trump then asked Iran to negotiate peace.