American Clarifications on the Iranian Nuclear Program: Exclusion of Bunker-Buster Bombs in Isfahan, Arab Funding, and Deal Conditions

Developments in the Iranian Nuclear File: Military Strikes, Diplomacy, and Potential Funding

joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, General Dan Keen, explained to members of the U.S. Senate the reasons for excluding the use of bunker-buster bombs during the military strike targeting a nuclear site in Isfahan, central Iran. Keen stated that the depth of the underground site may render such bombs ineffective.

Keen’s remarks came during a classified briefing held Thursday at the U.S. Congress, attended by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe. CNN reported that an early assessment by the Defense Intelligence Agency indicated that the strike did not destroy core components of the Iranian nuclear program and is unlikely to have caused significant delays.

Several lawmakers, including Democratic Senator Chris Murphy and Republicans Michael McCaul, Greg Murphy, and Lindsey Graham, confirmed that the strikes were not intended to destroy enriched uranium but to weaken specific facilities. They clarified that most of Iran’s nuclear stockpile remained intact despite damage to above-ground infrastructure, underscoring the limited short-term impact on the Iranian nuclear program.

The United States used B2 bombers to drop over 12 bunker-buster bombs on the Fordow and Natanz nuclear facilities, while Isfahan was targeted by Tomahawk missiles launched from a U.S. submarine without the use of bunker-buster bombs.

Trump Denies U.S. Funding of Iranian Nuclear Program; Points to Arabs as Potential Financiers

In the same context, U.S. President Donald Trump denied reports that his administration intended to provide $30 billion to Iran to develop a peaceful nuclear program in exchange for abandoning uranium enrichment. Trump wrote on the social media platform Truth Social that the idea was fabricated by the media and that he had never heard of it.

Media reports indicated that key actors in the Middle East discussed in recent weeks a proposal involving investments from Arab countries, rather than the United States, to develop a non-military nuclear program in Iran. The initiative, if realized, would represent an indirect form of external involvement in the Iranian nuclear program as part of a broader potential deal including sanction relief.

Washington Conditions Nuclear Deal on Iran’s Denuclearization

In a related political development, the U.S. mission to the United Nations informed the Security Council that Washington remains committed to pursuing an agreement with Iran, provided Tehran fully abandons efforts to acquire nuclear weapons. Acting U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea stated that such an agreement could bring significant benefits to the Iranian people and enhance regional security, while affirming the U.S. right to take additional measures in self-defense if necessary.

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White House: Trump Ready to Assist Iran in Achieving a Peaceful Nuclear Program