Simultaneous Strategic Bombing Strike, 12 Day War and Mid-East Peace?

Austin Bay on Jun 25, 2025

As I write this column late on June 24, Israel and Ayatollah Iran have stopped their latest battle of long-range missiles and bombs.

A tentative ceasefire holds, a ceasefire more or less personally imposed by U.S. president Donald Trump.

The predicate for Trump's ability to demand a ceasefire? The U.S. Air Force 509th Bomb Wing's jaw-dropping raid on and likely destruction of Iran's most critical nuclear weapons facilities -- located in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.

Early in what Trump calls the 12 Day War, Israeli attacks destroyed Iranian air-space defenses, giving Israel air superiority over Iran. Israel could bomb anywhere. However, it lacked the penetration punch to destroy Iran's fortified nuclear facilities.

Thirty years ago, the ayatollahs called Israel a "one bomb state" -- a statement of intent to develop and target. Since 1990, U.S. administrations have declared ayatollah Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.

But Tehran's nuclear quest persisted.

The 509th B2 bomber raid with Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs (MOPs) delivered a no-Iranian-nukes coup de grace.

The Israeli campaign and stunning U.S. operation leaves the ayatollah regime in tatters. Unfortunately, it retains power -- at least in Tehran.

Trump's ceasefire began awkwardly. After a Trump F-bomb tantrum, Israel agreed to observe the ceasefire, though it meant giving up its air supremacy. With another five days Israel could have taken out scores of regime-maintenance targets -- thug forces protecting ayatollahs and assets that can threaten Persian Gulf oil tankers. Sample targets: Iranian Republican Guard Corps leaders; speedboats, stored naval mines and anti-ship missiles the regime could use to close the Strait of Hormuz.

This target list isn't speculative. Though I don't know their precise location, they exist, and if the 12 Day War were 18, Israel would have smacked them.

Internet satellite photos reveal much, especially if you've had a little theater joint plans experience and know a little about U.S. weapons. And I have. My column last week suggested smashing Fordow with a high degree of certainty could take eight 30,000-pound MOPs. The B2s dropped 12.

The truth: The 509th's raid was three decades in the making. In 1996, the U.S. experimented with deep penetration conventional bombs and timing attacks so the second bomb struck milliseconds behind the first. A second bullet in the first bullet hole, one-two punch. In September 1996, I wrote a column mentioning the tests. The potential target: Libya's chemical weapons stash hidden under a mountain. The 509th's MOPs delivered these one-two punches.

The following paragraph comes from a Creators Syndicate column I wrote analyzing a potential U.S. strike on Iranian nuclear sites. The publication date is Aug. 4, 2010, during the Obama administration: "The (U.S.) claim is destroying these (Iranian) sites would seriously disrupt the (Iranian) bomb project. A 'simultaneous strategic bombing strike' (SSBS) on the facilities is one U.S. attack option. In a short time frame, aircraft, cruise missiles and perhaps ballistic missiles with conventional warheads would deliver hundreds of precision weapons, hitting nuclear targets and air defense sites. Follow-up raids could continue for weeks. Special operations commandos would enter Iran, collecting intelligence, providing target data and possibly attacking very high-value targets."

The predicate to that military scenario paragraph? From the same column: "When 'Meet the Press' (earlier in the week) asked Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Admiral) Mike Mullen if the Pentagon had a plan for attacking Iran, Mullen replied, 'We do.' He added, 'Military actions have been on the table and remain on the table ...' Mullen tempered his response by emphasizing an attack is always an 'option.' Mullen kept his hypothetical saber stroke in a diplomatic sheath by emphasizing the U.S. regards military action to destroy Iranian nuclear capabilities as an "option.""

And hysteric House Democrats want to impeach Trump for superbly executing an option Obama administration officials publicly acknowledged? We witness the dregs of war.

Were the Iranian nuke targets totally destroyed? While Trump gives peace a chance, let's give Bomb/Battle Damage Assessment a chance. Where's the missing 400 kilograms of 60% enriched Iranian uranium? Give Mossad some time. After several explosions -- we might know.

========

To find out more about Austin Bay and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.

----