China’s official media on Sunday criticized US bomb attacks at Iranian nuclear sites, while experts here said the bunker-bombs used in the attacks could not be enough to destroy Iran’s underground nuclear plants. The US dropped bombs on Iran’s Fordo, Isfahan and Natanj nuclear installations on Sunday morning. US President Donald Trump said that the US Army has made a very successful attack on three nuclear centers.
The American B2 Stealth Bombers were involved in attacks on Iran’s atomic sites. China on Saturday called for a ceasefire between Iran and Israel to stop the war. He has not yet officially responded to the US air strikes. An editorial in China’s official newspaper China Daily stated that the United States of America, targeting Iranian nuclear installations, is a negligent action and a severe violation of international law, which will further increase the conflict. It states that such unilateral action weakens the rules-based international system and the attacks have made the situation worse.
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How much damage to Iran’s nuclear installations in US attack?
Chinese experts stated that the actual effectiveness of the US military campaign is still unclear, and may not be sufficient to completely destroy Iran’s underground nuclear facilities. Assistant Research Fellow Lee Gixine at the China Institute of International Studies told the Global Times that the atomic plant of Fordo is located about 100 meters below the ground, which is very difficult to completely destroy it with one or two attacks, even it cannot be done using bunker-bombs. Military affairs expert Zhang Junashe also expressed a similar view.
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Zhang Junashe said that the first wave of US attacks would not have been enough to destroy Iran’s underground nuclear facilities. For example, the Fordo site is located 90 meters below the solid rock, which makes it highly resistant. Whereas Israel sees it as a major target and does not have the means of attacking it effectively. Zhang said that the US attacked Iranian nuclear installations with B-2 bombers equipped with 30,000 pounds GBU-57 bunker bunches, which are believed to have penetrated only up to 65 meters. He said that two consecutive GBU-57 bunkers can be damaged by using bunker bombs. But this strategy has never been tested publicly, so the success of the initial attack of America remains uncertain.
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Referring to the interview given by the Irani officer to the BBC, ‘Iran did not suffer a major setback, as the material was already evacuated’, Zhang Junashe said, ‘This makes it more clear how difficult it is to completely destroy the nuclear content of Iran for the US Army.’ He said that whether the Fordo facility in the first attack has been completely destroyed or not, it is clear that the US air strikes have caused great damage to Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. B-2 bomber aircraft equipped with bunker-bombs, F-15, F-16 and F-35 of Israel are more powerful than bombs and missiles carrying by fighter jets.
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Zhang said, ‘Therefore, the damage by the US is undoubtedly more than the damage provided by Israel. In this background, whether Iran will be able to protect its nuclear facilities or not, it remains uncertain. Lee Gixin said that this shows that America’s attack on Iran could not be a once operation. He said, “In the coming days, America can further increase its attacks on major bases of Iran.” Also, Lee Gixin said that no party wants the situation to get out of control. Therefore, the US attack is likely to remain within a limited range. The US will focus mainly on specific nuclear sites, rather than mass attack on other infrastructure in Iran.