Operation Midnight Hammer: US strikes destroyed only 1 of 3 Iranian nuclear facilities, says report; ‘significant’ setback
US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities last month destroyed only one of the three enrichment sites, setting back the work there “significantly”, NBC News reported on Thursday, citing an American assessment report.Moreover, the report said that the US Central Command had devised a far more extensive plan to strike Iran, targeting three additional sites over the course of several weeks rather than a single night. However when US President Donald Trump was briefed on the proposal, he ultimately rejected it, citing concerns over potential high casualties on both sides and a desire to avoid deepening US military involvement abroad, an approach consistent with his broader foreign policy stanceThis comes after Trump claimed that Operation Midnight Hammer “completely obliterated” Iranian nuclear sites and calling any reports going against the claim as “fake”.Likewise, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell also claimed that “Iran’s nuclear facilities in Fordo, Isfahan, and Natanz were completely and totally obliterated.”“The credibility of the Fake News Media is similar to that of the current state of the Iranian nuclear facilities: destroyed, in the dirt, and will take years to recover. President Trump was clear and the American people understand: Iran’s nuclear facilities in Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz were completely and totally obliterated. There is no doubt about that,” NBC News quoted him saying in a statement.US launched Operation Midnight Hammer, a coordinated military strike targeting Iran’s key nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, on June 22. Officials believe the strike on Fordo may have set back Iran’s enrichment capabilities there by up to two years. Public messaging has centered on this success, while strikes on Natanz and Isfahan received less attention, partly because officials were aware that key structures at those sites were likely too deep to be affected, even by the powerful GBU-57 “bunker buster” bombs, which were used in combat for the first time during the operation.Appraising the operation, Trump had said in a post on TruthSocial, “Monumental damage was done to all nuclear sites in Iran, as shown by satellite images. ‘Obliteration’ is an accurate term! The white structure shown is deeply embedded into the rock, with even its roof well below ground level, and completely shielded from flame. The biggest damage took place far below ground level. Bullseye!!!”
