In a high-stakes escalation in the Middle East, the United States conducted an airstrike operation codenamed Operation Midnight Hammer, targeting three of Iran’s major nuclear facilities, Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan. The Pentagon said the mission aimed to significantly degrade Iran’s nuclear capabilities without provoking broader conflict, and reiterated that regime change was not the goal.
The mission was carried out with high-level secrecy, involving decoy maneuvers and precision-guided airpower. According to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Air Force Gen Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the operation used advanced B-2 stealth bombers and Massive Ordnance Penetrators to destroy the nuclear infrastructure.
The operation, launched during the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, encountered no Iranian resistance, neither from fighter jets nor surface-to-air missile systems. “Iran’s fighters did not fly, and it appears that Iran's surface-to-air missile systems did not see us,” said Gen Caine.
Operation Midnight Hammer: Swift, precise strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites
According to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine, seven B‑2s flew covertly from Missouri, supported by escort jets and tankers during the 18-hour mission, dropping 14 Massive Ordnance Penetrators (bunker busters), while over two dozen Tomahawks struck Isfahan. Initial damage assessments showed "extremely severe" destruction of the targeted enriched uranium sites.
Deception and precision: How the mission unfolded
Pentagon planners deployed a deceptive strategy to ensure success. On the eve of the operation, decoy B-2 flights from Missouri created confusion, allowing the real strike package to enter Iran unnoticed. The B-2s remained radio-silent and flew at high altitude, protected by fighter jets that preemptively suppressed air defenses, enabling the bombers to exit safely without encountering Iranian resistance.
Severe damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities
Initial assessments suggest that all three targeted sites sustained “extremely severe damage and destruction.” While full battle damage analysis will take time, Pentagon officials said the objective of severely degrading Iran's nuclear weapons infrastructure had been achieved.
US signals diplomacy still possible
Vice President JD Vance emphasised that the strikes offer Iran a chance for a “reset” in negotiations. “If they’re willing to abandon their nuclear ambitions, they’ll find a willing partner in the United States,” he said on NBC’s Meet the Press. He added the strikes had likely pushed back Iran's nuclear program “by many, many years.”
President Donald Trump reportedly authorised the strikes after concluding Iran was not negotiating in good faith. Defence Secretary Hegseth echoed this, stating, “When Trump says 60 days of negotiation, he means it. If not, action will follow.”
Global reaction and diplomatic fallout
Iran has vowed retaliation. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared that the US had crossed a “very big red line” and said diplomacy was no longer a viable path, calling the attacks a “blatant violation of international law.”
Araghchi is now in Moscow for talks with President Putin. Both Russia and China have condemned the US actions, while Turkey warned the conflict could escalate to a global level.
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