The United States has confirmed that it launched heavy airstrikes on three of Iran’s major nuclear facilities — Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan
Dubbed Operation Midnight Hammer, the mission involved B-2 Spirit stealth bombers armed with GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators—widely known as “bunker-buster” bombs—designed to destroy heavily fortified underground targets. Submarine-launched Tomahawk cruise missiles provided additional precision strikes on the sites.
Satellite imagery released hours after the attack showed collapsed sections of the Natanz and Fordow plants, with large craters visible from space. Iranian state media, however, claimed that sensitive nuclear materials had been removed before the strikes, reducing the risk of immediate contamination.
What the Bunker-Buster Bomb Can Do
The GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator is considered one of the most powerful conventional bombs in the US arsenal. Weighing nearly 30,000 pounds, it is capable of penetrating up to 200 feet of reinforced concrete before detonating its explosive payload. Its primary design is to destroy deeply buried bunkers , such as Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities that are shielded from most other forms of attack.
US defense officials confirmed that multiple bunker-buster bombs were dropped on the Fordow and Natanz sites, both of which are believed to contain underground laboratories and uranium enrichment centrifuges.
Trump Hails Strikes as a ‘Spectacular Success’
Speaking in Washington shortly after the mission ended, President Donald Trump addressed the media directly. He said:
“Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success.
”Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.
“Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier.”
Trump warned that “there will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran, far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days”.
He stressed that there were many targets left, adding, “tonight’s was the most difficult of them all, by far, and perhaps the most lethal.
“But if peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed, and skill; most of them can be taken out in a matter of minutes.”
Iran Condemns Strikes, Threatens Retaliation
In Tehran, the government condemned the attack as an act of aggression and vowed retaliation. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi labeled the strikes “a heinous crime” and “a violation of international law.”
In a significant development, Iran’s Parliament approved a motion that would authorise the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. While the final decision rests with the Supreme National Security Council, Iranian lawmakers insisted that closing the strait was now a legitimate defensive measure against what they described as American military aggression.
The Strait of Hormuz is the world’s most critical oil transit route, with nearly 20% of global crude supplies passing through it. Any closure—or even limited disruption—would send shockwaves through global energy markets and could severely impact oil-importing economies worldwide.
World Powers Urge Restraint as Oil Prices Rise”
Oil prices climbed sharply in early trading after news of the US strikes and Iran’s threat to close the Strait of Hormuz raised fears of supply disruptions among traders and analysts. Energy analysts warned that if Iran made good on its threat to close the strait, prices could soar further.
The United Nations Security Council announced an emergency session to address the crisis. Russia, China, and several European countries urged both sides to exercise restraint and warned that further escalation could lead to a wider regional conflict.
