All about bunker buster bombs ‘Bunker buster’ is a broad term to describe bombs that penetrate deep below the surface before exploding B-2 Spirit stealth bomber: It can carry a payload of 18,000 kg but the US Air Force has tested a total weight of 27,200 kg The roughly 13,600 kilogram precision-guided bomb can attack deeply buried and hardened bunkers and tunnels HYDERABAD l Monday l June 23, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late cITY EDITION Iran can have reactors, but can’t enrich uranium: Rubio No reports of radiation from Iran, says IAEA chief 80 injured in Israel as Iran fires volley of missiles Iran will be allowed to operate nuclear power plants but not enrich its own fuel, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi said the Iranian regulatory authorities have reported no increase in off-site radiation levels Iran fired a barrage of missiles against Israel, targeting Ben Gurion Airport, and other key targets. According to Israeli media, over 80 were injured key sites in iran hit by the U.S. TRUMPFIRE ON IRAN Nuclear SITES Natanz Israeli attacks had already damaged the country’s largest uranium enrichment centre In this case, it refers to the GBU-57 A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator bomb that US used to bomb Iran’s three key nuclear sites Iran Fordo Bunkerbuster bombs were dropped on Iran's most critical nuclear site A merican strikes I sraeli strikes since June 13 Isfahan Near-bomb-grade nuclear fuel is reportedly stored here U.S. bombs Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan ‘obliterated’ them, claims Trump Iran says ‘a very big red line’ crossed, warns of ‘dangerous consequences’ world leaders call for calm Agen c i e s @ Dubai/Washington/Jerusalem AFter waiting on the sidelines for days, the US on Sunday joined Israel’s war against Iran, bombing three of the country’s major nuclear sites using the rarely deployed GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs and the powerful Tomahawk cruise missiles. “Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace,” US President Donald Trump said after the strikes. He said Tehran must now make peace or brace for more attacks. The Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran confirmed that attacks took place on the Fordo and Natanz enrichment facilities as well as the Isfahan nuclear site. Both Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said there were no immediate signs of radioactive contamination around the sites. Iran reacted sharply to the attack, saying the US crossed ‘a very big red line’ and warned that there will be ‘dangerous consequences’ and ‘far- EC mulls door-to-door verification of voters m u k e s h r a n j a n @ New Delhi WITH an eye on ensuring greater accuracy in electoral rolls in Bihar where assembly polls are due later this year, the Election Commission on Sunday announced that it was contemplating an intensive house-tohouse verification during the revision of the voter list in the state. Official sources said the move is aimed at freeing the electoral rolls of errors, if any . Officials pointed out that concerns have been raised by various civil society organisations, political parties and others persistently over the inclusion or deletion of names in the electoral rolls. Several parties, including the Congress, have accused the poll authority of fudging data to help the BJP . A source said, “The ECI has repeatedly emphasized that it is committed to ensuring that only genuine and eligible citizens are enrolled in the electoral rolls.” Regular exercise of revision of electoral rolls is undertaken annually throughout the country by ECI and also before an election or bypoll, he said. reaching implications’. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian hit out at the US, saying the attack revealed it was the “main factor behind” Israel’s military campaign in the Islamic republic. Vowing to defend itself at all costs, Iran fired another volley of missiles at Israel, injuring scores of people and damaging buildings. “There is no red line that they have not crossed. And the last one, and the most dangerous one, happened only last night. They crossed a very big red line by attacking nuclear facilities,” said Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi. The foreign minister said he would soon fly to Moscow to hold discussions with Russia. “We enjoy a strategic partnership and we always consult with each other and coordinate our positions,” he said, referring to Russia. If US claims that the nuclear sites have been damaged beyond repair are confirmed, it could mark the end of for Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s ambitious plan to transform the Islamic Republic into a greater regional power that holds enriched nuclear material a step away from weapons-grade. The developments have caused fears of the conflict intensifying and spreading wider. While the Trump administration said it still wanted to resume diplomatic talks with Iran, Tehran said the time for diplomacy had passed and that it would now do the needful to defend itself. Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Trump administration does not seek a regime change in Iran. He said the strikes ordered by Trump overnight had “devastated” Iran’s nuclear programme and urged Iranian leaders to seek peace to avoid further attacks. He also sought to clarify that the strikes did not target Iranian troops or civilians. Global leaders responded to the developments with shock and calls for restraint. The United Nations Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting on Sunday. Egypt warned of ‘grave repercussions’ for the region. Bahrain, home to the US Navy’s Middle East-based Fifth Fleet, called on Iran and the US to ‘quickly resume talks.’  P9 The Kumurambheem Asifabad police on Sunday arrested two more suspects in a human trafficking case, amid allegations that nearly 60 women have been sold to agents from Madhya Pradesh. According to Circle Inspector Ravinder, the arrested individuals were identified as Bashar Ramesh Goud (A7), a native of Dabla village in Mandsaur district, and Soni Jagadesh (A9), a native of Javari — both from Madhya Pradesh. The horrific incident came to light on Friday after a woman, who had been trafficked to Madhya Pradesh for `1.3 lakh, re-established contact with her parents in Vadgondi village, Asifabad mandal. The traffickers allegedly manipulated her Aadhaar records, inserting the buyer’s name as her husband. When the updated Aadhaar card was mailed to her Vadgondi address, her family grew suspicious and reported the matter to the police. Six persons, including a constable, Donald Trump, US prez Indians in israel stay put Hyderabad: Most Indians working in Israel, including many from Telangana, are reluctant to return home, despite evacuation efforts by the Centre, citing job stability and good pay | P3 were arrested earlier in the case. Reacting to the arrests, Adivasi Hakkula Porata Samithi (Thudum Debba) district president Kotnak Vijay Kumar warned of large-scale agitations across the state if the government fails to take stringent action against those involved. “It is deeply concerning that many tribal women have gone missing in recent months and have only been traced to other states through Aadhaar card updates. This shows the state’s lack of responsibility toward Adivasis,” he said. He claimed that nearly 60 tribal women have been trafficked to other states in the past six months. “The accused must be booked under the PD Act and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act,” he said. However, the inspector stated that while investigation is ongoing, no specific figures are currently available regarding the number of missing women reportedly trafficked to MP . express read Amarnath Yatra security beefed up after intel alert 2 held for ‘harbouring’ Pahalgam attackers New Delhi: Security for the Amarnath Yatra has been stepped up after intelligence agencies issued an alert cautioning against a possible terror attack during the pilgrimage, sources said | p8 Srinagar: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested two men for allegedly harbouring the terrorists who had carried out the Pahalgam attack that left 26 people dead | p8 pic: Sri Loganathan Velmurugan @ Hyderabad Telangana appears to be undergoing a rapid green transformation, with electric vehicles (EVs) — ranging from twowheelers and auto-rickshaws to cars and buses — becoming an increasingly common sight. As of March 2025, the state recorded 2.59 lakh EV registrations, accounting for 4.2% of the total eco-friendly automobiles registered across India. EV registrations saw a steep rise from 1,06,835 in 2023 to 2,59,053 as of March 2025, according to sources from RTA and a Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace Two more held as tribal leader alleges 60 women are missing Incentives drive up electric vehicle sales in TG S i d d h a r d h a G at t i m i graphic: Sourav roy Human trafficking E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Adilabad report by JMK Research and Analytics. In the current financial year alone, 72,740 EVs have already been registered, surpassing the 65,478 recorded in FY 2023 — highlighting the state’s growing shift towards sustainable mobility, especially in the capital city of Hyderabad. The EV landscape is dominated by two-wheelers, which make up 83.36% of total registrations, followed by four-wheelers (11.29%), three-wheeler carriages (3.08%), and passenger three-wheelers (1.99%). However, the surge in EV adoption has also spotlighted infrastructure gaps, particularly the insufficient number of charging stations. With only 976 public EV charging stations currently, Telangana is struggling to keep up with the demand created by the surge in electric vehicles. continued on p5 Exemption of tax The Telangana govt has given a 100% exemption on road tax and registration fees for EVs. This incentive, valid until December 31, 2026, applies to two and four-wheelers & commercial passenger vehicles. It’s believed to be able to penetrate about 61 metres below the surface before exploding, and the bombs can be dropped one after another, effectively drilling deeper and deeper with each successive blast. Weight 13,608 kg Length 20 feet How tough a target is Fordo nuke site? Fordo is Iran’s second nuclear enrichment facility after Natanz. In addition to being 80 metres underneath, it is protected by Iranian and Russian missiles CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI ■ ■ Iran dials India, Modi calls for de-escalation j aya n t h j a c o b @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday, voicing concern over the escalating Iran-Israel conflict, particularly as New Delhi is wary about rising tensions threatening regional stability . The 45-minute call, initiated by President Pezeshkian following US strikes on three key Iranian nuclear sites, included a detailed briefing on the evolving situation. “India reiterates its call for immediate de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward and for early restoration of regional peace, security and stability,” Modi said after the call. Pezeshkian described India as a friend and partner. He expressed appreciation for India’s consistent stance advocating dialo gue and diplomacy. “India’s voice and role is important in restoring regional peace,” Pezeshkian told Modi. Buzz on closure of Strait of Hormuz Agen c i e s Amid the escalating tensions with Israel and the US, Iran’s parliament has approved the plan to close the Strait of Hormuz—the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean and is one of the world’s most strategically important choke points—Iran’s Press TV reported on Sunday . The proposal will now go to the Supreme National Security Council, headed by a nominee of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, will take the final call, it added. According to estimates, around 20% of the world’s oil and gas moves through the Strait of Hormuz. If Iran decides to close the strait, it could send global oil prices skyrock- eting. Iran’s reported move follows US strikes on three Iranian military sites on Sunday . Choking the strait­ which — handles around 20 million barrels of crude oil per day—could cripple oil exports from key Gulf producers including Saudi Arabia, Iraq, UAE, and Kuwait. While there are some alternate pipelines, they can only handle a small share.