US lawmakers introduced a bipartisan bill Wednesday aimed at giving Israel access to the massive bunker-busting bombs used in American strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities last month, along with planes to drop them from.
The bill, announced by New Jersey Democrat Josh Gottheimer and co-sponsored by New York Republican Mike Lawler, would give the US president the authority to transfer to Israel a supply of the 30,000-pound GBU-57 bunker-busting bombs along with unspecified aircraft, in the event that Iran continues working on developing a nuclear weapon.
The US dropped more than a dozen GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs on the Fordo and Natanz underground nuclear facilities on June 22, during Israel’s 12-day war with Iran.
The ground-penetrating munitions were seen as the only bombs able to effectively damage the Fordo facility, which is buried some 300 feet under a mountain in a central Iran.
While Israel struck hundreds of other nuclear and military targets across the Islamic Republic, it lacks the weapons and planes needed to target Fordo and other deeply buried underground sites. Israel’s inventory of fighter-bombers is not able to carry the enormous bomb.
US President Donald Trump authorized the attack after several days in which he appeared to vacillate on the issue, amid concerns among Americans of becoming entangled in another Mideast conflict.
Currently, the only aircraft configured to use the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs are US B-2 stealth bombers, which have not been provided to any other countries. The veteran B-52 bomber could also be used to deliver the bomb, among other possible aircraft.
The bill, dubbed the Bunker Buster Act, would authorize the US to “take actions to ensure Israel is prepared for all contingencies if Iran seeks to develop a nuclear weapon,” according to a preliminary version of the bill published by Gottheimer’s office.
In a joint statement, the lawmakers said the legislation was introduced to “Give the President the authority to transfer the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bomb, or ‘bunker buster,’ and the aircraft necessary to carry it — if Iran is on the cusp of developing a weapon.”
It will aim to “preserve Israel’s qualitative military edge in the region while maintaining the capacity to deter Iran,” said Gottheimer, who is a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
“This bill gives the President the authority to equip Israel with the tools and training they need to deter Tehran and make the world a safer place,” Lawler said in the statement.
The bill has been proposed by Gottheimer twice previously, first in 2022 and then in 2024. It did not progress beyond the House floor either time.
“Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terror and is responsible for the deaths of thousands of Americans,” Gottheimer wrote on X. “As Iran rebuilds its nuclear program, we must maintain maximum deterrence.”
“My bipartisan Bunker Buster Act will give Israel the tools she needs to deter Iranian aggression and take out their underground nuclear sites — strengthening US national security.”
On Wednesday, the Pentagon said it has assessed that the strikes on Iran’s nuclear site set back its atomic research program by two years.
Israel launched an unprecedented air campaign targeting Iranian nuclear sites, scientists and top military brass on June 13 in a bid to end the country’s nuclear program and to radically degrade its ballistic missile capabilities
Trump had spent weeks pursuing a diplomatic path to replace the nuclear deal with Tehran that he tore up during his first term in 2018, but he ultimately decided to take military action.
Iran, which openly seeks to destroy Israel, claims its nuclear program is solely geared toward civilian use, but it has enriched uranium to 60 percent purity, above levels needed for civilian usage and a short step from the level needed for weapons production, obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities, and expanded its ballistic missile capabilities.
Israel says it holds intelligence information indicating that Tehran was taking active steps to build a bomb. It has also warned that it could take further military steps if it sees Iran attempting to rebuild its nuclear and missile programs.