The United States has conducted strikes that resulted in “extremely severe damage and destruction” to three of Iran’s nuclear facilities, stated General Dan Caine, the highest-ranking US military officer.
President Donald Trump had spent several weeks exploring diplomatic solutions to replace the nuclear agreement with Tehran that he abandoned in 2018 during his first term.
Ultimately, however, he opted for military action against Iran’s nuclear program, which was already under attack due to an extensive week-long Israeli campaign targeting Tehran’s top military leadership.
Below, we delve into what we know about the US operations against Iran—an initiative referred to as “Midnight Hammer.”
General Caine informed reporters that the strikes involved over 125 US aircraft, including B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, fighters, aerial refueling tankers, a guided missile submarine, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft.
“This mission showcases the unparalleled reach, coordination, and capability of the United States military,” the general remarked. “No other military in the world could have accomplished this.”
B-2 bombers
The US deployed seven B-2 bombers in the operation—aircraft capable of flying 9,600 km without re-fueling and engineered to “breach an enemy’s most advanced defenses and threaten its most valuable, heavily fortified, targets,” according to the US military.
“This was the largest B-2 operational strike in US history and the second-longest mission ever flown by a B-2,” General Caine noted.
A few B-2s headed west over the Pacific as a diversion while the bombers targeting the strikes moved east—a “deception effort known only to a very select group of planners and key leaders,” the general explained.
“Iran’s fighter jets remained grounded, and it seems that Iran’s surface-to-air missile systems did not detect us. Throughout the mission, we maintained the element of surprise,” General Caine remarked.
The United States had previously utilized the B-2 in operations against Serbian forces in the 1990s, flying non-stop from Missouri to Kosovo and back. The bombers were later deployed in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars during the 2000s.
Follow live updates as the US targets Iranian nuclear sites
Massive Ordinance Penetrator
Caine noted that the B-2s released 14 GBU-57 bombs, or Massive Ordinance Penetrators—a formidable 30,000-pound (13,600-kilogram) bunker-buster that made its combat debut in the Iran operation.
These bombs are designed to penetrate up to 200 feet (60 meters) underground before detonating, essential for targeting deeply buried Iranian nuclear facilities.
Development of the weapon commenced in 2004, and Boeing secured a contract in 2009 to facilitate the GBU-57’s integration with aircraft.
The B-2 ‘Spirit’ Stealth Bomber was utilized by the US during the attacks.
Tomahawk cruise missiles
In addition to the bombers, a US guided missile submarine positioned in the Middle East fired more than two dozen missiles at undisclosed “surface infrastructure targets” in Isfahan, one of the three nuclear sites affected by the operation, according to General Caine.
The missiles are “engineered to fly at very low altitudes at high subsonic speeds, and navigate via several mission-specific guidance systems,” and were first employed against Iraqi forces in 1991 during Operation Desert Storm, as per the US military.
Aim of the strikes
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth informed the media that the strikes aimed to “neutralize the threats to our national interests posed by the Iranian nuclear program and to ensure the collective self-defense of our troops and our allies.”
“This mission was not, and has not been about regime change,” Mr. Hegseth emphasized to reporters.
Notably, several prominent members of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement have publicly opposed US strikes on Iran, and his commitment to withdrawing the United States from its “forever wars” in the Middle East played a pivotal role in his 2016 and 2024 election campaigns.
What comes next?
President Trump has urged Iran to “agree to end this war,” asserting that “now is the time for peace.”
However, it remains uncertain whether the strikes will compel Tehran to de-escalate the conflict or exacerbate it further.
If Iran opts for the latter, it could retaliate by targeting American military personnel stationed throughout the Middle East or move to shut the strategic Strait of Hormuz, responsible for transporting one-fifth of global oil supply.
Natanz served as Iran’s primary uranium enrichment facility, hosting nearly 70 centrifuge cascades across its two enrichment plants, while Isfahan housed a uranium conversion facility and a nuclear fuel fabrication facility.
