In a bold military escalation, President Donald Trump announced that the United States has executed strikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities, declaring the operation a ‘spectacularly successful’ campaign that has ‘totally obliterated’ the targets.
The strikes focused on key sites of Iran’s nuclear program, utilizing advanced military technology, including ‘bunker buster’ bombs aimed at heavily fortified locations.
The three significant sites targeted were the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, the Natanz Nuclear Facility, and the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center.
Trump’s decision to engage militarily with Israel comes at a time when the region is already under high tensions, particularly following more than 21 months of conflict in Gaza.
This military intervention followed Israel’s unprovoked attacks against Iranian nuclear facilities, carried out after claims against Tehran suggesting it was close to developing atomic weapons.
Both Iran and the United Nations nuclear watchdog have dismissed these allegations as unfounded.
The operation, known as Operation Midnight Hammer, saw the deployment of a large formation of seven B-2 stealth bombers, each with a two-member crew.
These aircraft were launched from the US at midnight, employing tactical measures to ensure surprise, including a decoy flight over the Pacific Ocean to divert attention.
The main strike group, maintaining minimal communication, traveled for 18 hours before launching the attacks.
At 5 PM Eastern Standard Time, a US submarine in the vicinity unleashed over two dozen Tomahawk missiles, targeting the surface infrastructures of Isfahan.
The subsequent attacks on Fordow and Natanz followed shortly afterward, starting at 6:40 PM EST and concluding by 7:05 PM EST.
The Pentagon highlighted that this operation represented the largest B-2 combat engagement in US history while also being one of the longest missions undertaken by these aircraft.
In anticipation of retaliation, force protection across the region was raised to higher levels.
Iran’s nuclear program is distributed across several strategic facilities, with the country asserting that its aims are for peaceful energy and medical purposes.
However, the deep mistrust from the US and Israel has only intensified, particularly in light of Iran’s resumption of uranium enrichment following the US’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal in 2018.
Israel, having opposed the nuclear deal since its inception, has vowed to take all necessary measures to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
The Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, located approximately 95 kilometers southwest of Tehran, is fortified with deep underground facilities designed to withstand aerial bombardment.
Al Jazeera’s fact-checking agency, Sanad, confirmed visible damage at the site from the airstrikes, including craters from the strikes and damage to nearby air defense systems.
Mehdi Mohammadi, an adviser to the Iranian parliament’s chairman, stated that there was no surprising element to the US attack, maintaining that the sites had sustained no irreversible damage and that all personnel had been evacuated prior to the strikes.
The Natanz facility, recognized as Iran’s largest uranium enrichment site, is also situated in the Isfahan province.
Past Israeli strikes, including one on June 15, had already targeted Natanz, resulting in the destruction of essential infrastructure, including electrical supply systems and facilities critical for uranium enrichment.
Despite no direct hits on the underground facilities, the loss of power may have negatively impacted centrifuges crucial for Iran’s enrichment efforts.
In Isfahan, the Nuclear Technology Center serves as a vital conversion and research facility, critical for processing materials for enrichment and reactor operations.
This marks the third instance of an assault on Isfahan since the escalation of strikes began on June 13.
The operation employed specifically designed ‘bunker buster’ bombs, including the Massive Ordnance Penetrator, which is the largest of its kind and uniquely possessed by the US military.
Iran’s nuclear agency announced following the strikes that radiation monitoring and assessments indicated no signs of contamination from the attacks.
They stated, ‘Following the illegal US attack on the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear facilities, no contamination has been recorded.
There is no danger to residents around these sites. Safety remains stable.’
Despite the strikes, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran assured the nation that nuclear activities would continue unabated, emphasizing that their efforts would not be halted by external hostile actions.
Furthermore, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported no observed increase in radiation levels near the sites that were targeted.
The attacks coincide with heightened military conflicts between Israel and Iran, which have resulted in significant casualties on both sides, with reports indicating over 400 fatalities in Iran and 24 in Israel.
As tensions continue to rise in the region, the ramifications of these military strikes and the ongoing conflict are set to unfold, potentially altering the geopolitical landscape.
image source from：aljazeera
