US B-2 stealth bombers, GBU-57 bunker buster bombs, Tomahawks, and bases behind the strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities
The United States launched one of the most audacious airstrikes in recent history in the early hours of June 22, targeting three of Iran's most fortified nuclear facilities, Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
The operation was spearheaded by the
US Air Force
's elite B-2 Spirit stealth bombers and supported by submarine-launched Tomahawk cruise missiles, in a campaign aimed at destroying Iran's nuclear capabilities.
President
Donald Trump
, addressing the nation hours after the strike, declared: 'Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home.'
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The weapons used
At the centre of the operation were the B-2 Spirit bombers. Stealthy and silent, the B-2 is one of the most advanced aircraft in the world, capable of penetrating the most sophisticated air defenses without being detected. Less than two dozen bombers were ever built, each costing over $2 billion.
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What made this mission historic was the payload, the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP). Weighing 30,000 pounds, the MOP is the most powerful non-nuclear bomb in the US arsenal.
It is designed specifically to destroy deeply buried bunkers like the Fordow facility, which lies beneath a mountain.
Each B-2 can carry two MOPs. Trump confirmed five or six were dropped on Fordow, while 30 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAMs) were fired at the Natanz and Isfahan sites.
Launched from the Pacific air base
Several B-2 bombers were tracked moving west over the Pacific. By June 21, they were confirmed to be deployed at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, a key US outpost roughly 6,000 miles from Iran. It is from here that the US stages its long-range deterrence operations.
In sync with Israel
The attack was coordinated with Israel, which had already dismantled much of Iran's air defense network, leading up to the US strike through 'Operation Rising Lion.' However, Israel lacked the bunker-busting capacity required for Fordow, prompting its request for American assistance.
Republican leaders in Washington praised the mission. Senator Roger Wicker called it 'the correct decision to strike Iran's nuclear sites,' asserting that 'Iran made the choice to continue its pursuit of a nuclear weapon and would only be stopped by force.'
But criticism came swiftly from Democrats. Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va) warned that 'the American public is overwhelmingly opposed to the US waging war on Iran' and accused Trump of 'recklessly' bypassing congressional authority.
Further escalation?
With Iran yet to officially respond, tensions remain dangerously high. The Pentagon has since moved larger aircraft out of Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar and placed regional forces on high alert, anticipating potential retaliation from Iran or its proxies.
Trump, however, issued a stern warning in his address: 'There will be either peace or there will be tragedy for Iran far greater than we have witnessed.'
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Time of India
24 minutes ago
- Time of India
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India.com
28 minutes ago
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No Nukes For Iran...: US Defence Secy Hails Spectacular Military Success After Airstrikes
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United News of India
29 minutes ago
- United News of India
IAEA convenes emergency meeting following US attacks on three Nuclear sites in Iran
New Delhi, June 22 (UNI) The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has convened an emergency meeting on Monday in the light of the urgent situation in Iran and has confirmed that ''no increase'' in off-site radiation levels had been reported following US attacks on three nuclear sites. ''In the light of the urgent situation in Iran, I am convening an emergency meeting of the oard of Governors for tomorrow,'' IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said on X. ''Following attacks on three nuclear sites in Iran - including Fordow - the IAEA can confirm that no increase in off-site radiation levels has been reported as of this time,'' the IAEA said. However, IAEA would provide further assessments on situation in Iran as more information becomes available, it said. The IAEA said a large nuclear complex in Esfahan has been targeted for a second time during Israel's attacks on Iran over the past nine days, with several more buildings struck. Earlier, US President Donald Trump announced that his country had carried out ''precision strikes'' on three nuclear facilities - Fordow, Esfahan and Natanz. "Our objective was destruction of Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity and put a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world's number one State sponsor of terror. I can report to the world that the strikes were spectacular, military success. The nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated," said Trump. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said "With the awesome and righteous might of the United States, in tonight's actions against Iran's nuclear facilities America has been unsurpassed. It has done what no other country on earth could do. History will record that President Trump acted to deny the world's most dangerous regime the world's most dangerous weapon. President Trump and I offered peace through strength. First comes strength and then comes peace,' Netanyahu said. The IAEA DG had said in a report to the UN Security Council on Saturday that attacks on nuclear sites in Iran had caused a sharp degradation in nuclear safety and security in that country. However, although they had not so far led to a radiological release affecting the public, there is a danger this could occur. The US attacked three nuclear sites in Iran -- Fordow, Esfahan and Natanz. The Natanz enrichment site contains two facilities. The first is the main Fuel Enrichment Plant. Initial attacks on June 13 targeted and destroyed electricity infrastructure at the facility, including an electrical sub-station, the main electric power supply building, and emergency power supply and back-up generators. On the same day, the main cascade hall appears to have been attacked using ground-penetrating munitions. The second facility at Natanz is the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant. It consists of aboveground and underground cascade halls. On June 13 the above-ground part was functionally destroyed and the strikes on the underground cascade halls were seriously damaging. The level of radioactivity outside the Natanz site has remained unchanged and at normal levels, indicating no external radiological impact on the population or the environment. However, within the Natanz facility there is both radiological and chemical contamination. It is possible that Uranium isotopes contained in Uranium Hexafluoride, Uranyl Fluoride and Hydrogen Fluoride are dispersed inside the facility. The radiation, primarily consisting of alpha particles, poses a significant danger if inhaled or ingested. This risk can be effectively managed with appropriate protective measures, such as using respiratory devices. The main concern inside the facility is chemical toxicity. Fordow is Iran's main enrichment location for enriching uranium to 60 percent. The Agency is not aware of any damage at Fordow at this time. At the Esfahan nuclear site, four buildings were damaged in last Friday's attack: the central chemical laboratory, a uranium conversion plant, the Tehran reactor-fuel manufacturing plant, and the enriched uranium metal processing facility, which was under construction.
