In a dramatic escalation of Middle East tensions, U.S. B-2 Spirit stealth bombers carried out airstrikes on three major nuclear sites in Iran early Sunday, in what President Donald Trump described as a “very successful attack” on Tehran’s nuclear program.
The mission, involving non-stop flights lasting 37 hours from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, saw the stealth bombers refuel mid-air multiple times before striking Iran’s Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan nuclear facilities.
Trump: “Fordow Is Gone”
Fordow, buried deep beneath a mountain and heavily protected, was long believed to be Tehran’s most secure nuclear site. But after the airstrikes, Trump made it clear that the bunker-busting bombs had hit their target. “Fordow is gone,” Trump declared. “The strikes were an amazing success. Iran should make peace immediately or they’ll get hit again.”
According to Trump, six GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs were dropped on Fordow, while around 30 Tomahawk missiles hit other nuclear installations. He congratulated the U.S. military, saying, “All U.S. planes are safely on their way home.”
The Stealth Bombers and Bunker Busters
The B-2 Spirit, America’s most advanced stealth bomber, played a key role in the operation. Just a day before the strikes, the U.S. had repositioned B-2s to Guam, placing them within striking range of Iran.
These aircraft are the only ones capable of deploying the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, a 30,000-pound bomb designed to destroy deep underground facilities like Fordow.
The Pentagon confirmed that B-2s were used in the mission, and an Iranian official later told Tasnim News Agency that parts of the Fordow facility were damaged in what they called “enemy airstrikes.”
How It Escalated: Israel’s Initial Strikes
The U.S. strike came just days after Israel launched its own attacks on Iranian nuclear and military targets. Israel had been warning for weeks that Iran was dangerously close to producing a nuclear bomb, and began hitting Iran’s missile defense and enrichment infrastructure.
However, despite Israel’s technological edge, many experts believed it couldn’t fully destroy Fordow without U.S. help. That’s when Trump made the decision to step in.
The Israeli government later confirmed that it had been closely coordinating with Washington, and said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Trump after the U.S. strikes.
Rising Death Toll and Worsening Crisis
The U.S. attack adds a new chapter to what’s already become the worst Israel-Iran flare-up in recent years.
Iranian human rights groups claim more than 400 people have died in Iran since hostilities commenced. Another 3,500 have been injured in airstrikes and retaliatory attacks. Missile barrages from Iran have killed at least 14 people in Israel and wounded 1,200 others.
Now, transmuted through publicized air strikes and attacks, open warfare draws sovereigns into the fray and deepens the fissures in an already-weakened region.
What’s Next?
It is expected President Trump will address the nation from the Oval Office, explaining the mission and placing U.S. policy on further involvement. He praised the military operations, but his warning to Iran left many to wonder whether further strikes may materialize. “Make peace immediately or they’ll get hit again,” Trump said—a message that leaves the door open for more military action.
With the United Nations and other countries calling for restraint and tensions in the region boiling over, the next few days could prove critical in determining whether this conflict spirals further—or gives way to diplomacy.
