The United States the last big war Sunday, bombing all Iranian nuclear facilities. What they called Operation Midnight Hammer. Seven B-2 Spirit stealth bombers launched from the continental U.S. Their intention was clearly to cripple Iran’s nuclear program, and they sought to do so by zeroing in on the Fordow site, encased far below the Zagros Mountains. The attack commenced around 2:10 a.m. local time and utilized a dozen 13,600-kilogram massive ordnance penetrators, commonly referred to as bunker busters.
The U.S.-Israeli operation had been in weeks— perhaps even months —of meticulous planning and was thoroughly coordinated with Israeli officials. With hostilities rising in the area, US leadership felt forced to take this extreme action to stop Iran’s move toward a nuclear weapon. Reports emerged of Iran evacuating its most important nuclear sites, such as Natanz and Isfahan prior to the attack. This leads to big questions about the actual impact of the non-military action.
Details of the Attack
Located deep within mountains, the Fordow site has long been considered the most impenetrable military target of Iran’s nuclear sites. It rests well over 45 to 90 meters of bedrock, mostly made up of limestone and dolomite. The strike’s precision was designed to break through these defenses and reduce civilian casualties.
Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched from an Ohio-class submarine, and U.S. naval vessels in the waters south of Iran joined the assault. Their ultimate goal? The Isfahan nuclear technology center. A review of preliminary assessments by Iranian state media suggested from the outset that the strikes were carried out without intent to kill. Moreover, the Iranian Red Crescent stated that there were no casualties. The health ministry reported that all injured people displayed no symptoms of nuclear contamination.
“The enriched uranium reserves had been transferred from the nuclear centres and there are no materials left there that, if targeted, would cause radiation and be harmful to our compatriots.” – Hassan Abedini
Reactions and Assessments
Following the attack, former President Donald Trump claimed that the U.S. strikes had “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear facilities. Israeli officials have publicly derided the claim. They noted that while Fordow took heavy damage, it had not been dealt a fatal blow.
Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said,
“As for the assessment of the degree of damage underground, on this we cannot pronounce ourselves. It could be important; it could be significant, but no one … neither us nor anybody else could be able to tell you how much it has been damaged.”
Iran and the U.N. nuclear watchdog found no immediate evidence of radioactive contamination at the bombed sites. This was all in the face of rumors that there had been catastrophic damage. In sum, this new information calls into question the real impacts of the disruption Operation Midnight Hammer appears to have caused.
Iran’s Response
In response to the U.S. offensive, Iran fired ballistic missiles at Israel within a few weeks after the operation. The missile strikes activated air raid alarms throughout Israel and wounded 16 people in Israel. This latest escalation serves to remind us of the fragile and dangerous stance in the region and the risk of even greater military confrontation.
Just days before the U.S. strike, satellite imagery captured unprecedented levels of truck traffic at Fordow. This change in activity indicates that Iran had been actively preparing themselves for military escalation. Analysts agree that these movements had almost certainly been built into Iran’s plan. They sought to blunt any damage from a highly anticipated strike.
Iran’s government has asserted that uranium enrichment at Natanz has been raised up to 60%. This concentration is a dangerously short technical leap from weapons-grade material. The current war is exemplifying a challenging environment where military strategy meets diplomatic bargaining and international condemnation.