Iran Claims It Recovered 15 Unexploded U.S. Missiles, Including GBU-57 Bunker Buster
Iran is openly boasting that it not only survived recent American strikes but has turned unexploded U.S. munitions, including the feared GBU-57 bunker buster, into a potential windfall for its own weapons program.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that it has recovered more than 15 unexploded American heavy missiles and ordnance from recent U.S. and Israeli strikes and transferred them to technical units for reverse engineering.
Among the recovered munitions is the powerful GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), America’s largest bunker-buster bomb, designed to destroy deeply buried, hardened targets such as underground nuclear facilities.
According to statements from the IRGC’s Imam Sajjad Corps in Hormozgan province, the unexploded weapons were collected, neutralized, and handed over to specialized research teams. Iranian media also reported the recovery of thousands of additional bomblets in various provinces.
Strategic Significance
The GBU-57 is one of the most advanced U.S. air-dropped weapons, weighing approximately 30,000 pounds with the ability to penetrate up to 200 feet of reinforced concrete. If Iran can successfully study and replicate key components, it could mark a major technological intelligence gain for Tehran and its allies.
Iran has a proven track record of reverse-engineering captured Western weapons, including drones and missile parts, often with assistance from Russia and China.