In one of the largest such military operations to date, the United States deployed B-2 Spirit Stealth Bombers. They hit two Iranian nuclear sites for the first time, deploying the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOP). This extremely disruptive attack included the dropping of 14 GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs. One of the targets was a buried enrichment hall at Natanz, Iran’s largest nuclear site. The operation was complicated and very well-planned, requiring over 125 aircraft and layers of backup tactics to guarantee success.
The B-2 bombers launched from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. During the nearly 18 hour mission, they helped demonstrate the range and strength of America’s long-range strike forces. Among all this dazzling, difficult activity, U.S. submarines came roaring to the rescue. They fired more than two dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles to decisively take out the threats at these sites. The indiscriminate bombing campaign therefore represents a significant step in the decades-long battle between adversaries over Iran’s nuclear aspirations.
Targeting Iran’s Nuclear Infrastructure
The GBU-57 MOP is designed to reach deep into hardened targets. When deployed, it is programmed to strike the ground at depths of up to 60 meters before detonating. According to recent satellite imagery analysis, the bombs caused substantial damage at Natanz, particularly at a location thought to be a buried enrichment hall.
Humanitarian ISIS analysis showed that at least one impact point was directly above this critical facility. “This set of holes is near the ventilation shaft of the underground complex, enabling an easier pathway for the MOPs to the deeply buried halls,” the analysis noted. The destruction caused by the GBU-57s has resulted in speculation about whether these strikes have made Iran’s nuclear program unsustainable in the long term.
“If your goal is to eliminate [Iran’s] nuclear program, you have to eliminate Fordow.” – Expert
This research facility is located inside a mountain. New imagery indicates at least six visible craters on the mountainside that protects Fordow’s underground structure, suggesting a potentially significant impact on Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
Implications of the Attack
In the wake of that operation, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced that the bombers had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Contextual investigation reveals that the enrichment halls probably suffered extraordinary devastation. In others, they were at least partially demolished as a result of the bombardments.
“It is highly likely that the enrichment halls were severely damaged or even destroyed in the attack. Debris from the explosions can be seen on the side of the mountain,” ISIS analysis remarked.
Remarkably, nuclear proliferation expert and founder of the Institute for Science and International Security David Albright went on to detail the ramifications of targeting these facilities. He stated, “You see it in the drawings. We went back and looked at historical imagery and we could see it being built, and then camouflaged. You know exactly where it is … you can destroy that shaft deeply; that could potentially cause damage mostly through temperature effects. You could put the facility out of commission for quite a long time, measured probably in a few years rather than a few months.”
A Coordinated Military Effort
The accuracy of this strike was reinforced by a series of carefully calculated military tactics. In addition to B-2 bombers, fourth- and fifth-generation fighter jets participated in the mission, maintaining a robust air superiority presence over the entire area of operations. An ingenious application of decoy flights across the entire Pacific theater was intended to draw enemy fire away from true targets.
As military analysts are keen to tell us, this must be seen as an operation that demonstrates U.S. capability to engage with and more effectively disrupt advanced nuclear programs. The significance of this mission reflects broader geopolitical strategies aimed at countering Iran’s influence in the region and its commitment to developing nuclear weapons.
