The U.S. missile attack dubbed “Operation Midnight Hammer” apparently fell short of wiping out Iran’s nuclear sites—namely Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan—according to a CNN report. The news outlet’s intelligence source said the damage might only delay Iran’s nuclear progress by a few months. At the same time, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed back and declared that “our bombing campaign obliterated Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons.”
Bunker Buster Blitz: US Claims Iranian Nuclear Sites Obliterated, Intel Reports Say Otherwise
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Operation Midnight Hammer: Bombs Dropped, Doubts Explode
The fragile truce between Israel and Iran—hammered out by U.S. President Donald Trump—remains shaky but intact as of 5 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday. Amid this uneasy calm, CNN reports that a preliminary U.S. intelligence review, cited by four anonymous sources, suggests Iran’s nuclear facilities may have survived with less damage than Trump originally asserted.
“So the (DIA) assessment is that the U.S. set them back maybe a few months, tops,” one anonymous source told CNN. The outlet added that while the White House confirmed the assessment exists, it didn’t see eye to eye with its findings. Alongside CNN, The New York Times also quoted insiders who said the initial classified U.S. report reached the same takeaway—that Iran’s underground nuclear sites are still standing.
“Operation Midnight Hammer” saw B-2 stealth bombers lift off from an Air Force base near Kansas City, Missouri, en route to hit three key Iranian nuclear sites. Reports say the strike included 14 GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOPs). These 30,000-pound bunker-busting bombs, dropped by B-2 Spirit stealth aircraft, are built to reach heavily fortified underground targets. As for Isfahan, that facility was targeted by more than two dozen Tomahawk missiles launched from a U.S. submarine.
In a statement to CNBC, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the attack was successful and anyone suggesting otherwise was simply trying to undercut Trump’s mission. “Based on everything we have seen — and I’ve seen it all — our bombing campaign obliterated Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons,” Hegseth explained.
The Defense Secretary added:
Our massive bombs hit exactly the right spot at each target — and worked perfectly,” Hegseth said in the statement. “The impact of those bombs is buried under a mountain of rubble in Iran; so anyone who says the bombs were not devastating is just trying to undermine the President and the successful mission.
With conflicting accounts swirling and no independent verification yet released, the narrative around “Operation Midnight Hammer” remains contested. While officials stand firm on its effectiveness, reports have raised doubts behind closed doors. As tensions simmer and alliances are tested, the credibility of any of these specific claims may prove just as critical as the damage dealt deep beneath Iran’s soil.
