Obama administration seeking to buy more time to pursue diplomacy with Iran

TEHRAN,May 4(MNA) – The Pentagon has redesigned its biggest “bunker buster” bomb with more advanced features intended to enable it to destroy Iran’s most heavily fortified and defended nuclear site, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. According to the report, U.S. officials see development of the weapon as critical to convincing Israel that the U.S. has the ability to deal with Iran if diplomacy over Iran’s nuclear dispute fails, and also that Israel’s military cannot do that on its own. The improvements are meant to address U.S. and Israeli concerns that Iran’s Fordo uranium enrichment plant could not be destroyed from the air. Fordo has long been thought to be a target that would be difficult if not impossible for the U.S. to destroy with conventional weapons. In January 2012, U.S. officials disclosed they did not think their largest bomb could penetrate to the centrifuges within the complex. U.S. officials said they believe the enhanced U.S. bunker-busting capability decreases the chances that Israel will launch a unilateral bombing campaign against Iran this year and possibly next year, buying more time for the Obama administration to pursue diplomacy after Iran holds presidential elections in June. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and other senior U.S. officials have told their Israeli counterparts in recent weeks that the Obama administration will look more closely at military options to deal with Iran’s nuclear program after assessing the impact of those elections on Tehran’s intentions.