In what President Donald Trump called a “very successful attack”, the United States deployed B-2 stealth bombers on a gruelling 37-hour non-stop mission to strike Iran’s fortified nuclear facilities, marking Washington’s most direct military intervention against Tehran in years.
The B-2 Spirit bombers, launched from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, executed the long-range operation with multiple mid-air refuellings before releasing bunker-busting bombs on Iran’s most heavily guarded sites — Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. The offensive, which also involved Tomahawk cruise missiles, followed days of intensifying hostilities in the Middle East, as Israel and Iran exchanged blows over alleged nuclear developments.
“Fordow is gone,” declared Trump in a post on Truth Social, referring to the underground uranium enrichment facility. “Make peace immediately or they’ll get hit again,” he warned.
The Pentagon later confirmed that six Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOPs) were dropped on the Fordow site. These 30,000-pound bombs, also known as GBU-57A/Bs, are specifically engineered to destroy hardened underground targets. Around 30 Tomahawk missiles were simultaneously launched to disable Iran’s other nuclear installations.
Also read: Iran rains missiles on Israel after US bombings, 16 injured
The Pentagon had earlier redeployed B-2 bombers to the US Pacific island of Guam — a strategic air base — from where they could be positioned for rapid response. Iran’s Tasnim news agency acknowledged that the Fordow site had sustained “damage from enemy airstrikes”.
The attack marked a significant escalation by Washington in the ongoing conflict. Trump, who had previously said he would take a fortnight to decide on American involvement, acted within days. “All US planes are safely on their way home,” he posted, congratulating “our great American Warriors.”
Israel’s government has acknowledged coordinating closely with the US. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly held a conversation with Trump following the strikes.
The Israeli Defence Forces have maintained that Tehran was on the brink of developing a nuclear weapon, citing intelligence to justify a pre-emptive campaign. Israel had earlier launched “Operation Rising Lion”, targeting military and scientific facilities, including the deaths of several senior Iranian nuclear scientists.
Casualty reports emerging from Tehran suggest that more than 400 individuals have died and over 3,500 were wounded following Israeli and US operations. Iranian retaliation, including missile strikes on major Israeli cities, has killed at least 14 and injured over 1,200, making it one of the worst episodes of violence between the two arch-rivals in decades.
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