A powerful weapon, colloquially referred to as "the mother of all bombs," may have the potential to breach Iran's underground nuclear facilities.

Let me crack this open for ya:

If Prez Trump decides to rain hell on the Israel-Iran clash, he'd eyeball the GBU-57 as his boomstick of choice. This bad boy is the sole strategic weapon able to obliterate Iran's underground nuke dens. But hold up, it ain't in Israel's arsenal – they're trying to stop Tehran from cooking up a nuclear bomb.

So, why the GBU-57 love?

Even though Israel took the Iranian military command and nuked surface facilities like it was no one's business in just five days, there's still some confusion about the effectiveness of those strikes on the heart of Iran's nukes program, says Behnam Ben Taleblu of the AFP news agency. You guessed it – all eyes are on Fordo.

This uranium enrichment plant south of Tehran escaped damage and inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Unlike Natanz and Isfahan facilities, Fordo lies about a hundred meters deep in the earth and is beyond the reach of Israeli bombs.

"Only the US has the conventional capacity to blow up a target that deep," emphasizes Mark Schwartz, a retired general now chatting with AFP and an expert at the RAND Corporation think tank. He means the GBU-57, homeboy.

What's so hot about the GBU-57?

The star of the USA's bomb show can drill up to 61 meters deep into rock and concreted, says the US Army. Unlike your average rocket or bomb, the GBU-57 tunnels into the earth before going kaboom when it reaches the target.

These ladies and gents pack a very thick hull made of hardened steel, allowing them to bore through rock layers. This is why they weigh over 13 tons and measure 6.6 meters in length.

Their serious demolition capabilities come from their detonator, which senses voids before exploding inside the bunker. Masao Dahlgren, an armored vehicles specialist at the CSIS research center in Washington, spilled the beans. Development of this bomb started in the early 2000s, and in 2009, 20 units were ordered from Boeing.

How does it drop?

The only aircraft capable of deploying this bomb are US B-2 stealth bombers. Some of these bad boys were stationed at the US military base Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean back in May, but they vanished mid-June according to satellite imagery analysis by PlanetLabs for AFP.

But with their long range, B-2 bombers launched from the US can fly to the Middle East to drop bombs, explains Dahlgren. Each B-2 can carry two GBU-57s.

If the decision is made to use 'em, "they won't just drop one and call it a day, but they'll use several to ensure a 100% hit rate," says Schwartz. Israel's air supremacy over Iran "reduces the risk" that B-2 bombers could face, adds the retired general.

What's the fallout of using it?

Such a military intervention would cost the USA a high political price, says Behnam Ben Taleblu. He points out that the GBU-57 isn't the only solution to shut down Iran's nuke program forever – diplomacy being an option too.

Without the GBU-57 from the USA, the Israelis could attack underground sites like Fordo by trying to blast the entrances, peer pressure the structure to collapse, and cut the power supply – supposedly what went down at the Natanz nuke plant.

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Without the GBU-57, Israel would have to blow up underground sites like Fordo by targeting the entrances, collapsing as much as possible, and cutting the power supply. This seems to be what occurred at the Natanz nuclear plant. (afp/mp)

The GBU-57, a strategic weapon capable of obliterating deep underground targets, is the subject of interest due to its potential use in war-and-conflicts and its unique ability to penetrate up to 61 meters into rock and concrete. This weapon, with its thick hull and sophisticated detonator, is currently only available to the US military, highlighting the politics surrounding its deployment. (General News)

The use of the GBU-57 in a military intervention would significantly impact both the political landscape and the ongoing tensions, as it is not the only solution to shutting down Iran's nuke program; diplomacy is also an option. (General News)

A powerful weapon, colloquially referred to as "the mother of all bombs," may have the potential to breach Iran's underground nuclear facilities.