Historic U.S. Strike Destroys Iranian Nuclear Sites After 15 Years of Planning

Pentagon — In a landmark military operation dubbed Operation Midnight Hammer, the United States destroyed Iran’s Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant and a second nuclear facility, setting back Tehran’s nuclear program by years. The Pentagon confirmed the strike, which used 14 GBU-57 “Massive Ordnance Penetrator” bombs delivered by B-2 bombers.According to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the operation was ordered by President Donald J. Trump and successfully concluded the 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel with a ceasefire. “President Trump created the conditions to end the war while obliterating Iran’s nuclear capabilities,” Hegseth declared at a Pentagon briefing.Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, detailed how the mission stemmed from intelligence first gathered in 2009. Two Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) officers spent 15 years studying Iran’s fortified Fordow site, eventually developing the GBU-57 to reach its underground facilities. Repeated tests led to the bomb’s unique ability to penetrate hardened bunkers.On June 21 at 6:45 p.m. Eastern time, B-2 bombers flew more than 13,000 miles round-trip from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, in a non-stop 36-hour mission to deliver the weapons. Pilots described explosions so bright they “looked like daylight.”After the strikes, Iranian forces retaliated by launching missiles at U.S. troops stationed at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. Gen. Caine reported that American and Qatari Patriot missile crews successfully intercepted the attack, conducting what is believed to be the largest single Patriot missile engagement in U.S. military history.Approximately 44 American soldiers defended the installation during the engagement, which occurred early Monday in Qatar. “These awesome humans, along with their Qatari brothers and sisters, stood between Iranian missiles and the safety of Al Udeid,” said Gen. Caine, praising their courage.Defense Secretary Hegseth called the mission “historically successful,” emphasizing that it offers a renewed opportunity for peace and a chance to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran — a goal President Trump had pursued for decades.