The United States carried out a large-scale attack on three nuclear facilities in Iran, in a military operation that combined B-2 Spirit strategic bombers and Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from submarines.
“Fordow has disappeared,” reported President Donald Trump, quoting a user from his social network Truth Social, announcing in his unique style the devastating attack by his troops against Iran's major nuclear facilities.
The operation, carried out with B-2 strategic bombers and Tomahawk missiles launched from submarines, completely destroyed the Fordow enrichment facility and also targeted the plants in Natanz and Isfahan.
The offensive, carried out in the early hours of Saturday following strong warnings from the U.S. president, represents one of the most decisive actions against the Iranian nuclear program in decades and has triggered immediate reactions both in Tehran and around the world.
The operation began around 2:00 a.m., when six B-2 bombers took off from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri and flew for approximately 37 hours non-stop, thanks to multiple in-air refuelings.
According to anonymous sources from the Pentagon cited by The New York Times, these aircraft dropped a dozen GBU-57 bunker buster bombs, each weighing approximately 30,000 pounds, on the Fordow facility, regarded as the heart of the Iranian nuclear program.
The Fordow facility, located about 90 meters underground near the city of Qom, was completely destroyed, according to reports from Fox News and a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The bombs used, known as bunker busters, are designed to penetrate deeply into reinforced structures before detonating.
Simultaneously, U.S. submarines launched 30 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAM) against the nuclear facilities in Natanz and Isfahan, located about 640 kilometers away. An additional B-2 also dropped two bunker-busting bombs on the Natanz plant, according to the same sources.
"Now is the time for peace!" Trump stated in his post, where he confirmed the operation: "A full load of bombs was dropped on the main site, Fordow."
NASA's fire information system detected a significant heat emission in the Fordow area approximately 30 minutes before the official announcement, which bolsters the evidence regarding the scale of the attack.
In subsequent statements, Trump praised American pilots and the military for their performance: “An operation like the world has not seen in many, many decades.”
Despite the severity of the attack, Iranian authorities assured that “there is no danger to the population” in the areas near the nuclear facilities, according to a statement from the crisis management department of Qom province.
The reaction in Iran came swiftly. State television threatened reprisals, stating that "every American citizen or member of the military in the region is now a legitimate target." The newspaper Tehran Times published an article titled: "How many coffins will Trump send home for the sake of Israel?" alluding to a possible military escalation.
Additionally, the Houthis in Yemen, allies of Iran, also blamed Trump and warned of attacks against U.S. warships in the Red Sea.
In statements gathered by Fox News, Trump reiterated the goals of his administration: “We are not seeking a ceasefire. We are looking for total and complete victory. You know what that victory is: no nuclear weapons.”
This attack marks a turning point in the tensions between Washington and Tehran, and could define the future of the geopolitical balance in the Middle East. Meanwhile, the world watches closely to see whether this episode will lead to a new regional war or open the door to a new non-proliferation agreement.
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