On June 22, 2025, the United States launched Operation Midnight Hammer, a coordinated military strike against Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. The operation deployed seven B‑2 Spirit stealth bombers, supported by submarine-launched Tomahawk missiles, and delivered more than 420,000 pounds of explosives.
Targets included uranium enrichment facilities and underground bunkers. Fourteen Massive Ordnance Penetrators were dropped to penetrate Iran’s most fortified sites. The Pentagon later confirmed it was the largest B‑2 mission in history, with no aircraft lost and near-total radar evasion.
U.S. officials, including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, described the strike as a necessary deterrent against Iranian escalation. Iran acknowledged severe damage but claimed no nuclear capabilities were permanently affected.
The international response was immediate: oil prices surged, global markets reacted nervously, and the UN Security Council convened an emergency session. Tehran vowed retaliation.
Operation Midnight Hammer has since become a flashpoint in 21st-century military history—at once a technical triumph, a geopolitical gamble, and a case study in modern stealth warfare.
Visit the homepage to view the first recovered image tied to the mission.
Learn more in our in-depth explainer: What Is Operation Midnight Hammer?