On Thursday, the White House released footage showing the moment a 30,000-pound bunker-buster bomb detonated inside a tunnel. The video was meant to back US President Donald Trump’s claim that Iran’s key nuclear sites had been “completely and totally obliterated” by US strikes.
Standing firm against critics, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said, “Because of the hatred of this press... your people are trying to leak & spin that it wasn't successful. It's irresponsible.”
General Dan “Razin” Caine, who oversaw the mission, added, “I have chills… talking about this.”
But official assessments and satellite images suggest the picture may not be that simple.
Fordo: The core of Iran’s deep-buried programme
The Fordo Fuel Enrichment Plant, hidden beneath a mountain, was long seen as Iran’s most fortified nuclear facility. To breach it, the US used a dozen GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators—each weighing more than 13,600 kg—dropped from six B-2 stealth bombers.
General Caine revealed how the Pentagon spent over a decade studying the site. “We had so many PhDs working on the mock program—doing modelling and simulation—that we were quietly and secretly the biggest users of supercomputer hours within the United States of America,” he told reporters.
Each bomb was engineered to delay detonation until it reached Iran’s underground chambers. The aim: destroy the centrifuges through overpressure and blast inside the tunnels.
Iran had placed thick concrete slabs over the main ventilation shafts just days before the attack. But these were neutralised by the first wave of strikes. The remaining bombs, four per shaft, were dropped directly into the openings at speeds exceeding 1,000 feet per second.
“Each crew was able to confirm detonation as they saw the bombs drop from the aircraft in front of them,” said Caine. One crew member described the blast as “the brightest explosion” and said it “literally looked like daylight.”
Still, doubts remain. A leaked US intelligence report said the bombs sealed the entrances but did not collapse the underground halls. This, experts argue, could allow Iran to resume operations after repairs.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi confirmed that Fordo’s centrifuges are “no longer operational,” but warned, “it would be too much to assert that Iran's nuclear program had been wiped out.”
Natanz: Struck from the sky, damaged below
Natanz—home to Iran’s largest uranium enrichment facility—was hit by both US and Israeli forces. The IAEA confirmed that missile strikes caused “direct impacts” on its underground enrichment halls and destroyed the above-ground sections of the plant.
Unlike Fordo, Natanz is buried only a few metres deep. Satellite images taken after the strike showed two distinct craters at the site. The deeper impact makes damage here easier to confirm, but Iran’s recovery efforts could also be swifter.
Isfahan: A bottleneck in the making
In Isfahan, a third key site, US Navy submarines launched more than two dozen cruise missiles, striking a facility that was under construction to process enriched uranium into metal form. Israeli missiles also targeted the site.
Grossi confirmed that the “enriched uranium metal processing facility” was hit. According to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, this created a significant bottleneck in Iran’s ability to convert nuclear material into weapons-grade form.
International nuclear experts agree that damage to this plant could take years to repair. But that assessment depends on whether Iran has secretly built an identical facility elsewhere—a possibility that remains open.
Missing Uranium, secret sites
Even as officials assess the physical damage, the fate of Iran’s uranium stockpile is unclear. Before the strikes, Western intelligence suspected that Iranian teams removed around 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% purity—just short of weapons-grade—from Isfahan.
That material hasn’t been accounted for.
“The fuel had last been seen by his teams of U.N. inspectors about a week before Israel began its attacks on Iran,” Grossi told The New York Times. He added that the material was stored in casks small enough to fit in the trunks of about 10 cars.
Iran has also claimed to have built another enrichment site in a “secure and invulnerable location.” Analysts believe it could be near Natanz, buried under Kūh-e Kolang Gaz Lā, a mountain almost twice as high as Fordo’s cover.
A classified US intelligence memo, leaked earlier this week, estimated that the strikes had set back Iran’s nuclear programme by only a few months. Trump has publicly disputed that.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe, on the other hand, described the outcome as a major blow. “The strikes have severely damaged Iran’s nuclear programme,” he said.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has reported “extensive damage” at all three major sites. But as inspections continue, it’s clear that the full story may take time to emerge.
While Iran deals with physical loss, Israel has been counting the financial cost of the conflict. According to the Israeli finance ministry, damages from the 12-day war—caused by Iranian missile strikes—have reached $3 billion, as reported by Bloomberg.
“This is the greatest challenge we've faced — there has never been this amount of damage in Israel's history,” said Shay Aharonovich, head of Israel’s Tax Authority.
That figure includes compensation to local businesses and rebuilding costs. It does not account for the expense of missile defence systems or weapons fired during the campaign.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich warned that the true cost could rise to $12 billion once all assessments are complete.
President Trump insists the strikes were a success. “Iran’s nuclear facilities have been destroyed,” Hegseth reiterated during the Pentagon briefing.
Standing firm against critics, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said, “Because of the hatred of this press... your people are trying to leak & spin that it wasn't successful. It's irresponsible.”
General Dan “Razin” Caine, who oversaw the mission, added, “I have chills… talking about this.”
But official assessments and satellite images suggest the picture may not be that simple.
Pentagon releases test footage showing how bunker-busters work.@SecDef Hegseth: “Because of the hatred of this press... your people are trying to leak & spin that it wasn't successful. It's irresponsible.” Gen. “Razin” Caine, on the mission: “I have chills..talking about this.” pic.twitter.com/nS1q6ml7Ae
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 26, 2025
Fordo: The core of Iran’s deep-buried programme
The Fordo Fuel Enrichment Plant, hidden beneath a mountain, was long seen as Iran’s most fortified nuclear facility. To breach it, the US used a dozen GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators—each weighing more than 13,600 kg—dropped from six B-2 stealth bombers.
General Caine revealed how the Pentagon spent over a decade studying the site. “We had so many PhDs working on the mock program—doing modelling and simulation—that we were quietly and secretly the biggest users of supercomputer hours within the United States of America,” he told reporters.
Each bomb was engineered to delay detonation until it reached Iran’s underground chambers. The aim: destroy the centrifuges through overpressure and blast inside the tunnels.
Iran had placed thick concrete slabs over the main ventilation shafts just days before the attack. But these were neutralised by the first wave of strikes. The remaining bombs, four per shaft, were dropped directly into the openings at speeds exceeding 1,000 feet per second.
“Each crew was able to confirm detonation as they saw the bombs drop from the aircraft in front of them,” said Caine. One crew member described the blast as “the brightest explosion” and said it “literally looked like daylight.”
Still, doubts remain. A leaked US intelligence report said the bombs sealed the entrances but did not collapse the underground halls. This, experts argue, could allow Iran to resume operations after repairs.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi confirmed that Fordo’s centrifuges are “no longer operational,” but warned, “it would be too much to assert that Iran's nuclear program had been wiped out.”
Natanz: Struck from the sky, damaged below
Natanz—home to Iran’s largest uranium enrichment facility—was hit by both US and Israeli forces. The IAEA confirmed that missile strikes caused “direct impacts” on its underground enrichment halls and destroyed the above-ground sections of the plant.
Unlike Fordo, Natanz is buried only a few metres deep. Satellite images taken after the strike showed two distinct craters at the site. The deeper impact makes damage here easier to confirm, but Iran’s recovery efforts could also be swifter.
Isfahan: A bottleneck in the making
In Isfahan, a third key site, US Navy submarines launched more than two dozen cruise missiles, striking a facility that was under construction to process enriched uranium into metal form. Israeli missiles also targeted the site.
Grossi confirmed that the “enriched uranium metal processing facility” was hit. According to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, this created a significant bottleneck in Iran’s ability to convert nuclear material into weapons-grade form.
International nuclear experts agree that damage to this plant could take years to repair. But that assessment depends on whether Iran has secretly built an identical facility elsewhere—a possibility that remains open.
Missing Uranium, secret sites
Even as officials assess the physical damage, the fate of Iran’s uranium stockpile is unclear. Before the strikes, Western intelligence suspected that Iranian teams removed around 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60% purity—just short of weapons-grade—from Isfahan.
That material hasn’t been accounted for.
“The fuel had last been seen by his teams of U.N. inspectors about a week before Israel began its attacks on Iran,” Grossi told The New York Times. He added that the material was stored in casks small enough to fit in the trunks of about 10 cars.
Iran has also claimed to have built another enrichment site in a “secure and invulnerable location.” Analysts believe it could be near Natanz, buried under Kūh-e Kolang Gaz Lā, a mountain almost twice as high as Fordo’s cover.
A classified US intelligence memo, leaked earlier this week, estimated that the strikes had set back Iran’s nuclear programme by only a few months. Trump has publicly disputed that.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe, on the other hand, described the outcome as a major blow. “The strikes have severely damaged Iran’s nuclear programme,” he said.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has reported “extensive damage” at all three major sites. But as inspections continue, it’s clear that the full story may take time to emerge.
While Iran deals with physical loss, Israel has been counting the financial cost of the conflict. According to the Israeli finance ministry, damages from the 12-day war—caused by Iranian missile strikes—have reached $3 billion, as reported by Bloomberg.
“This is the greatest challenge we've faced — there has never been this amount of damage in Israel's history,” said Shay Aharonovich, head of Israel’s Tax Authority.
That figure includes compensation to local businesses and rebuilding costs. It does not account for the expense of missile defence systems or weapons fired during the campaign.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich warned that the true cost could rise to $12 billion once all assessments are complete.
President Trump insists the strikes were a success. “Iran’s nuclear facilities have been destroyed,” Hegseth reiterated during the Pentagon briefing.
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