The arsenal used against sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan included the most expensive stealth bomber in history, the most powerful non-nuclear bunker-buster bomb and the cruise missile that starred in the first Gulf War.

Six B-2 Spirit stealth bombers embarked on an extraordinary 37-hour flight from Missouri, delivering the payload. These aircraft, of which the U.S. Air Force possesses only 20, each carry a price tag of $2.1 billion.

Capable of carrying up to 18 tons of ordnance and flying unrefueled for approximately 11,000 kilometers (6,800 miles) – a distance mirroring their recent mission – the B-2 was designed to penetrate deep into enemy territory undetected by radar. It has seen action in Iraq, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Libya and against Houthi targets in Yemen.

The main weapon deployed against the fortified Fordow site was the GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP). Weighing 13.6 tons, this bunker-buster was specifically developed by the U.S. Pentagon with one key objective: destroying Fordow.

While containing about 2.4 tons of explosives, most of its weight comes from its reinforced casing, enabling it to bore through rock, earth and reinforced concrete using its guidance system to obliterate underground infrastructure.

Heavier than the 10-ton MOAB ("Mother of All Bombs") used once in Afghanistan, the MOP had never seen operational use before this strike. Reports indicate 12 MOPs were dropped on Fordow and two more on Natanz, consuming an estimated 70% of the U.S.'s limited stockpile of around 20 such bombs.

While capable of penetrating up to 60 meters (200 feet), questions remain about their ability to fully destroy Fordow, estimated to be up to 90 meters (295 feet) deep, though multiple strikes on the same point are a potential solution. Only B-2 and B-52 bombers can carry the heavy munition.

Complementing the air strikes, U.S. Navy submarines launched approximately 30 Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles from about 450 kilometers (280 miles) away, targeting the Natanz and Isfahan sites – previously damaged but not irreversibly destroyed by Israeli attacks.

The Tomahawk, capable of being launched from ships or submarines with a range of 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles) and in-flight retargeting, gained fame during the first Gulf War with hundreds launched against Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

Unlike the B-2 and MOP, which the U.S. has never sold abroad, Tomahawks have been exported to the UK, Australia and the Netherlands, though Israel's past requests to purchase them were denied. The specific submarines involved, potentially including the nuclear-powered USS Georgia capable of carrying 154 Tomahawks, were not officially identified.