Operation Midnight Hammer

Extracted Attributes

• Date

  2025-06-22

• Name

  Operation Midnight Hammer

• Type

  Military Operation

• Purpose

  Incapacitate Iran's nuclear program, prevent nuclear weapons development

• Location

  Iran (Fordow Uranium Enrichment Plant, Natanz Nuclear Facility, Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center)

• Bombs Used

  Fourteen GBU-57A/B MOP 'bunker buster' bombs (30,000 pounds each)

• Significance

  First combat use of 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs

• Aircraft Used

  Northrop B-2 Spirit stealth bombers (7 bombers from 509th Bomb Wing)

• Missiles Used

  Tomahawk missiles

• Preparation Time

  Over a decade

• Total Weapons Used

  Approximately 75 precision guided weapons

• Primary Participants

  United States Air Force, United States Navy

• Outcome (US Statement)

  Facilities 'completely and totally obliterated'

• Mission Duration (B-2s)

  30 hours

• Total Aircraft Involved

  Over 125 U.S. aircraft (including support and escort)

• Outcome (Iran Statement)

  Nuclear sites sustained severe damage

Timeline

• The Iran–Israel war commenced with surprise Israeli strikes. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia)

  2025-06-13

• Operation Midnight Hammer was conducted by the United States Air Force and Navy, targeting three Iranian nuclear facilities (Fordow, Natanz, Isfahan). (Source: Summary, Wikipedia, Web Search)

  2025-06-22

• U.S. President Donald Trump declared the targeted facilities 'completely and totally obliterated'. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia)

  2025-06-22

• Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reported severe damage to the nuclear sites. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia)

  2025-06-22

• Iran retaliated by attacking a U.S. base in Qatar. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia)

  2025-06-22

• U.S. President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between Iran and Israel. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia)

  2025-06-23

• The Iran–Israel war concluded with a ceasefire. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia)

  2025-06-24

• Iran suspended its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). (Source: Summary, Wikipedia)

  2025-07-02

United States strikes on Iranian nuclear sites

On June 22, 2025, the United States Air Force and Navy attacked three nuclear facilities in Iran as part of the Iran–Israel war, under the code name Operation Midnight Hammer. The Fordow Uranium Enrichment Plant, the Natanz Nuclear Facility, and the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center were targeted with fourteen Guided Bomb Unit Massive Ordnance Penetrator (GBU-57A/B MOP) 30,000-pound (14,000 kg) "bunker buster" bombs carried by Northrop B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, and with Tomahawk missiles fired from a submarine. The attack was the United States's only offensive action in the Iran–Israel war, which began on June 13 with surprise Israeli strikes and ended with the ceasefire on June 24, 2025. U.S. president Donald Trump said the strikes "completely and totally obliterated" Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities; a final bomb damage assessment of the strikes is still ongoing. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that nuclear sites sustained severe damage. Congressional Republicans largely supported Trump's action, while most Democrats and some Republicans were concerned about the constitutionality of the move, its effects, and Iran's response. World reaction was mixed, as some world leaders welcomed the move to incapacitate Iran's nuclear program while others expressed concern over escalation or otherwise condemned the strikes. Iran responded by attacking a U.S. base in Qatar. The next day Trump announced a ceasefire between Iran and Israel. On July 2, Iran suspended cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Web Search Results

• Former B-2 pilot shares details behind Iran nuclear facility strikes

  The operation, named "Operation Midnight Hammer," marked the U.S. military's largest-ever deployment of B-2 stealth bombers and first use of 30,000 pound bunker-buster bombs in combat, Pentagon officials said. The 30-hour precision strike targeted three Iranian nuclear facilities, making it the longest B-2 mission since 2001, according to officials. "Everything worked perfectly," Spalding, a former B-2 pilot and senior director at the National Security Council, told ABC News. [...] ### MORE: How bunker-busters and B-2 stealth bombers struck at the heart of Iran's nuclear program Spalding, who said he helped develop the mission plan years ago, told ABC News the operation required more than a decade of preparation, including extensive work on weapons systems and planning. [...] The strikes were aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons, U.S. officials said. President Donald Trump called the operation "very successful" in a Truth Social post on Saturday evening. ## Related Topics ABC News ## Sponsored Content by Taboola ## Popular Reads ## How bunker-busters and B-2 stealth bombers hit Iran's nuclear program ## Abrego Garcia's attorneys ask judge to require 72 hours' notice before he's deported

• United States strikes on Iranian nuclear sites - Wikipedia

  In an operation called "Midnight Hammer", on June 22 the United States Air Force and Navy attacked three Iranian nuclear facilities: Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.( Seven B-2 bombers of the 509th Bomb Wing departed from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri and flew eastwards towards the Middle East continuously for 18 hours with minimal communication while refueling mid-air three times. The B-2s were preceded into Iranian airspace by fourth- and fifth-generation American fighter aircraft to draw [...] On June 22, 2025,( the United States Air Force and Navy attacked three nuclear facilities in Iran as part of the Iran–Israel war, under the code nameOperation Midnight Hammer.( The Fordow Uranium Enrichment Plant, the Natanz Nuclear Facility, and the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center were targeted with fourteen Guided Bomb Unit Massive Ordnance Penetrator (GBU-57A/B MOP) 30,000-pound (14,000 kg) "bunker buster" bombs carried by Northrop B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, and with Tomahawk "Tomahawk [...] Russian Deputy Foreign MinisterSergei Ryabkov said on June 18 that Moscow has cautioned Washington against offering direct military assistance to Israel, saying it "would be a step drastically destabilizing the situation as a whole."( ### U.S. military preparation Image 15.jpg) Operation Midnight Hammer was the first combat use of the 30,000-pound (14,000 kg) GBU-57 MOP (pictured).

• What Operation Midnight Hammer Means for the Future of Iran's ...

  On Saturday, June 21, the United States attacked three facilities in Iran critical to Tehran’s nuclear program. The attack, named Operation Midnight Hammer, included a strike package of seven B-2 bombers and over two dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles. At a Pentagon news briefing on Sunday, June 22, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine stated that Operation Midnight Hammer involved over 125 U.S. aircraft to support the attack. This attack was the first time that the United States [...] Q1: What facilities did the United States target? A1: Operation Midnight Hammer targeted two uranium enrichment facilities at Fordow and Natanz and one facility at Isfahan, which conducts several activities related to Iran’s nuclear program. [...] On June 22, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated in a Pentagon press conference that it was “an incredible and overwhelming success.” General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that the attacks were designed “to severely degrade Iran’s nuclear weapons capability” but declined to comment on what nuclear capability remained at the sites. General Caine noted that battle damage assessments were still pending.

• Operation Midnight Hammer: How the US conducted surprise strikes ...

  WASHINGTON — Hours after the US conducted a surprise, significant military operation against three Iranian nuclear sites, top defense officials unveiled the details of what the Pentagon called Operation Midnight Hammer, which involved seven B-2 bombers and the first known operational use of a 30,000-pound bunker buster bomb. [...] ## Defense industry news, analysis and commentary ### Breaking Defense In your inbox Want the latest defense industry news? Sign up for the Breaking Defense newsletter. ##### Featured: # Operation Midnight Hammer: How the US conducted surprise strikes on Iran ### The operation included more than 125 US aircraft, "dozens" of aerial refueling tankers, a guided missile submarine and approximately 75 precision guided weapons. 250226_b2_runawy_USAF_240613-F-TE598-9555 [...] 250622_midnight_hammer_chart A Pentagon chart detailing Operation Midnight Hammer, presented at a June 22, 2025 press conference. (DoD) Once those aircraft were over land again, they “linked up” with escort and support aircraft “in a complex, tightly timed maneuver requiring exact synchronization across multiple platforms in a narrow piece of airspace,” Caine said.

• Pentagon reveals how B-2 bombers struck Iran nuclear sites in ...

  Caine said the mission, dubbed Operation Midnight Hammer, included seven B-2 Spirit bombers that flew east from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri to Iran. Another group of B-2s flew west over the Pacific to act as decoys — news reports emerged over the course of the day Saturday that a group of the bombers were headed to the U.S. base in Guam. [...] A graphic released by the Pentagon shows the flight path and timeline of Operation Midnight Hammer, the U.S. operation to strike nuclear sites in Iran on Saturday, June 21, 2025. Defense Department [...] Caine spoke in front of a map showing the flight path of the aircraft, and the timeline of key events in the operation: Image 2: A graphic released by the Pentagon shows the flight path and timeline of Operation Midnight Hammer, the U.S. operation to strike nuclear sites in Iran on Saturday, June 21, 2025.