US Bomb Strikes On Iranian Nuclear Sites May Not Be Enough To Destroy Them: Chinese Experts

Bejing: China's official media on Sunday criticised US bomb attacks on Iranian nuclear sites as a further step toward the abyss, while experts here said the American bunker-buster bombs used in strikes may not be enough to destroy Iran's nuclear plants hidden deep underground.

The US on early Sunday morning attacked Iran's Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz nuclear sites to destroy the country's nuclear programme. US President Donald Trump said that the US military had carried out a "very successful" attack on three nuclear sites.

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— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 21, 2025

According to media reports, B2 stealth bombers were involved in the strikes on Iran's nuclear sites.

President Donald J. Trump in The Situation Room, June 21, 2025 pic.twitter.com/SXyXiuYswI

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 22, 2025

While China, which on Saturday called for a ceasefire between Iran and Israel to pause the war, is yet to officially react to the American airstrikes, a flash editorial in the state-run China Daily said the US unilateral military strikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities constitute a reckless escalation and a flagrant violation of international law.

US Drops Never-Before-Used GBU-57 Bunker Busters On Iran’s Fordow Nuclear Site: Report

Such unilateralism undermines the rules-based international order and sets a dangerous "might-makes-right" precedent, it said.

The strikes have only served to push the situation further toward the abyss, it said.

Chinese experts said the true effectiveness of the American operation remains unclear, and that the strikes may not have been sufficient to completely destroy Iran's underground nuclear facilities.

Fordo's nuclear facility lies nearly 100 meters underground, making it extremely difficult to destroy completely with just one or two strikes, even using bunker-buster bombs, Li Zixin, an assistant research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, told state-run Global Times.

Zhang Junshe, a military affairs expert, shared a similar view.

He said the first wave of US strikes may not have been sufficient to destroy Iran's underground nuclear facilities.

For example, the Fordo site lies 90 meters beneath solid rock, making it highly resistant. While Israel sees it as a key target, it lacks the means to strike it effectively. 

Zhang said the US uses B-2 bombers armed with 30,000-pound GBU-57 bunker busters, which are believed to be able to penetrate only about 65 meters.

In theory, two bombs used in sequence might be needed, but this tactic has never been publicly tested, so the success of the initial strike remains uncertain, he said.

Referring to the Iranian official’s assertion to the BBC that Iran "didn't suffer a major blow because the materials had already been taken out,", he said, "This further demonstrates the difficulty for the US military to completely destroy Iran's nuclear materials."

Regardless of whether the Fordo facility was fully destroyed in the first wave of strikes, it is clear that the US airstrikes inflicted substantial damage to Iran's nuclear infrastructure, he said.  

"B-2 strategic bombers, armed with bunker-busting weapons, are far more powerful than the bombs and missiles carried by Israel's F-15, F-16, and F-35 fighter jets”.

"Therefore, the damage inflicted by the US is undoubtedly far greater than what Israel could achieve. Against this backdrop, whether Iran's nuclear facilities can be preserved remains uncertain," Zhang said.

'If Peace Doesn't Come Quickly, We Will Go After Other Targets,' Says US President Donald Trump After Bombing Iran's 3 Key Nuclear Sites (Video)

Li said that this suggests that the US strikes on Iran may not be a one-time operation. "In the coming days, the US may further escalate its attacks on key Iranian facilities," he said.    

At the same time, he said neither side wants the situation to spiral out of control.

Therefore, US strikes are likely to remain limited in scope, focusing primarily on specific nuclear sites rather than launching large-scale attacks on Iran's other infrastructure, he said.

(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)