Congressman Riley Moore says the United States has an opportunity to strike a decisive blow against Iran’s nuclear program by dropping a bunker busting bomb, but Moore made clear that he does not support a goal of regime change.
“There are some of these nuclear facilities that are so far down, 90 meters down under a mountain, and what he’s weighing is if we can use this to destroy and degrade and prevent the Iranian regime from getting a nuclear weapon — does this have that capability?” Moore, R-W.Va., said today on MetroNews’ Talkline.
“So in terms of involvement, I think that’s what we’re talking about in terms of the United States getting involved.”
The United States is weighing whether to use a GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator to destroy the Fordo nuclear fuel enrichment plant that is carved into a mountain, extending deep underground.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt today delivered this message from the president: “Based on the fact that there is a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks.”
Only the U.S. military has the 30,000-pound bomb and a bomber, the American B-2 stealth bomber, capable of delivering and dropping it.
“So in terms of involvement, I think that’s what we’re talking about in terms of the United States getting involved,” Moore said.
“I don’t think anybody — I don’t know anybody — who would want to see U.S. boots on the ground in some type of scenario like that.”
The situation has arisen as Israel and Iran have traded missile and drone attacks, with Israel saying that in the last few months Iran was coming closer to building a nuclear weapon.
“The president knows this — but if we’re going to act in terms of this massive ordnance penetrator timing is certainly of the essence so we can get to the negotiating table faster and try to have a long and lasting peace between Iran and their neighbors,” Moore said.
“Now, I’m under no illusion that the Iranian regime is dead set (for) the destruction of Israel and the United States, and we do have to stand with Israel, and that is why, though, we need to do this in a manner that does not put our troops in harm’s way, but also prevents the Iranians from getting a nuclear weapon.”
American political figures have been in vigorous debate about the situation, with a disagreement between Senator Ted Cruz and broadcaster Ted Cruz highlighting the differences.
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Congressman Moore said there are key differences between the Cruz position and his own.
“If you go back and listen to that interview, which I have listened to, Ted Cruz supports regime change. I do not support regime change. So we are very much in different camps on that,” Moore said.
“I’ve seen the regime change thing go on. We’ve got a new leader in Syria currently — instead of Assad, we’ve got ISIS essentially running Syria right now, who we’re going to be contending with. Did things go better in Iraq after regime change there? I don’t think so. So there’s certainly a difference in that.”
But Moore reiterated his position that taking out the underground nuclear facilities would pay dividends.
“Preventing the Iranian regime from getting a nuclear weapon? Certainly, yes, that is, I think, something everybody can agree with, and the President is going to have to weigh what that type of support or intervention is going to look like,” Moore said.
“I think it’s going to be in the form of this massive ordnance penetrator to destroy the centrifuges that are below that mountain, 90 meters down in Iran. And so to me, I think that makes sense, because we don’t want them that nuclear weapon.”