Midnight Hammer and the Long Shadow: Inside the U.S. Strike on Iran's Nuclear Core
*Posted 22 June 2025.

A Flash in the Dark

It was 23:47 local time on Saturday, 21 June 2025, when the skies over central Iran erupted in orange as the U.S. high-explosive bunker-buster bombs drilled downwards into the mountains; the detonation of one planned—and successful—strike occurred. Minutes later, President Donald Trump appeared behind the White House lectern to confirm what was already known. "Fordow, Natanz, Isfahan—completely and totally obliterated... There will either be peace, or there will be tragedy for Iran."

It was official: Operation Midnight Hammer was the first-ever kinetic U.S. strike against Iran's declared nuclear targets.

The world shrank that night. From oil traders in Singapore to contractors in Chicago, everyone felt it. Everyone felt the tensions. Everyone felt like things were about to ignites. 

How the Operation Went Down

Seven B-2 Spirit stealth bombers departed Whiteman AFB in Missouri to follow a radio-silent, 18-hour path across the Atlantic with four mid-air refuels over water—this merely a pinprick of a mission that would ultimately comprise greater than 125 aircraft with a guided missile submarine fixated on the Gulf. 

The Hardware: Fourteen Massive Ordnance Penetrators (GBU-57), 30 tons each, and greater than 75 precision-guided munitions. 

The Date: A night with no moon selected by Pentagon officials following one week of Israeli airstrikes that dismantled Iranian radar and surface-to-air missile systems.

Defence: The Pentagon reports that Iran's air-defence network didn't track a single bomber on its approach, indicating the B-2's low-observable profile works when it needs to.
The bombers struck Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan—home to Iran's enrichment capability.
What Was Struck—and What Remained
Fordow—Six MOPs struck the mountain facility outside of Qom. New vent holes and collapsed tunnels can be seen in early satellite imagery, but the centrifuge halls are 90 metres underground. Iranian officials claim most machines are operational; Western experts claim only future inspectors—if they're ever let back in—will know should they enter the mountain.

Natanz—Subject to cyber-worm in 2020 and explosion in 2021, Natanz welcomed more MOPs and Tomahawks. Above-ground halls appear shredded, yet the buried “A1000” facility may be unaffected.

Isfahan—More than twenty cruise missiles struck the conversion facility and fuel-plate producers. U.S. planners admitted privately that Isfahan was the most complicated target, fitted with concrete and earthen berms.
The only environmentally friendly news is that no radiation spike occurred, according to Gulf states. The politically sensitive conclusion is that Iran must have moved most enriched uranium off-site weeks ago, which means breakout capabilities still exist on-site—albeit with physical location—but centrifuges will have to be remade.
Iran's First Counterattack
On Sunday morning, Iran launched forty ballistic missiles toward Israel. Most were intercepted mid-flight by Iron Dome and Arrow batteries, but 86 civilians were injured in Tel Aviv and Haifa from debris raining down. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that U.S. personnel in the Gulf are "next."
In the meantime, a hardline parliamentary faction passed a bill to abandon the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Should that go forward, UN inspectors will be expelled, and Iranian uranium enrichment will occur without oversight—precisely what Washington says it's trying to prevent.

Everyone Else Reacts
Israel rejoiced in the attack. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it "history-changing."

Russia laughed at it. Former president Dmitry Mededev commented, "So much for the peacemaker image."

India called for caution. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called President Raisi seeking dialogue.

Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states assured their citizens that their radiation monitors indicated normal levels.

Oil markets did not hesitate to respond. Brent futures spiked 12% before opening in Asia, and every underwriter placed emergency war-risk surcharges for every vessel entering the Strait of Hormuz.
Within moments, Congress responded. Republicans called it a much-needed show of force; Democrats blasted the Biden Administration for not consulting Congress first. Senator Tim Kaine promised to bring the question of whether to have "a third open-ended Middle-East war" to the Senate floor for a vote.

Was This a Success for Midnight Hammer? Military technicians think so: global bomber mission with precise drops and no American casualties. Less clear, though, on the strategic front. 1. Depth of Fordow. Even 30-ton bunker-busters might not have leveled the centrifuge halls. 2. Dissipation Over Deterrence. Iran's been benefiting from sabotage for decades; if they moved equipment to dispersed satellite sites, they did it weeks ago. 3. Proliferation Rational, Inverted. Countries bombed for nuclear weapons capability (see Iraq 1981 or Syria 2007) don't look to be friendly after getting bombed; they go dark. Trita Parsi of the Quincy Institute thinks this could be an awful idea because “Two nuclear-armed states just bombed a non-nuclear one. Every other threshold state now has a new reason to finish the bomb.”

Two Paths Not Taken Path A: Contained Crisis. Omani and Swiss diplomats broker a time-out; Iran's limited retaliatory attack is nominal; U.S. does nothing; both sides fumble toward some version of “JCPOA 2.0.” Oil settles back down to $90 and regulators come back in to save the day—eventually. Path B: Escalatory Spiral. IRGC swarm-boat strikes a U.S. frigate; Washington sinks the swarm boat in response; Hezbollah and the Houthis unleash missiles; oil spikes to $150; the Persian Gulf becomes a shooting gallery; 72-hour headline become a 72-month quagmire.
Whether we take road one or road two now depends less on bunker buster tonnage than on political restraint—in Washington, Tehran, Tel Aviv, Moscow and Beijing—that slows the advance down just long enough before the guard rail ends.

Why The Average Person Should Care

Gas prices: War-risk premiums and panic buying get passed on overnight to your pump.

Cyber ripple effects: Iranian hackers have targeted banking systems and water treatment facilities well beyond the Persian Gulf.

International standards: Bombing declared nuclear facilities lowers a redline that was previously avoided at all costs. How do we know that the next nuclear bomb isn't tested near a populated area?
Whether or not missiles stop flying today, the strike's half-life—political, economic, environmental—will continue on.
Final Thoughts
Operation Midnight Hammer demonstrated that America's stealth fleet can still cross hostile airspace and hit within meters of intention. What it has not yet demonstrated is that brute force kinetics can solve the nuclear issue that has plagued US presidents since 2002.
One year from today, if Iran is under the watchful eye of IAEA cameras and tankers in the Gulf move silently once more, then historians will deem Trump's gamble to have been high-risk with high-reward. If the Gulf spins out of control into a tit for tat situation, however, the orange glow at Fordow will be seen, in hindsight, as the first funeral bell of a much larger storm.
The next 72 hours will determine which future we will all be living. Until then, one thing is clear: it's easier to bomb reactors than it is to undo the knowledge—and desire—to recreate them.

Additional Reading & Major Sources:
Reuters (22 Jun 2025) - "Trump says key Iranian nuclear sites 'obliterated' by U.S. airstrikes."

CBS News (22 Jun 2025) - "U.S. launches strikes on 3 Iranian nuclear facilities, Trump says."

The Guardian (Live Blog, 22 Jun 2025) - "U.S. defence secretary hails 'incredible success' of strikes on Iran."

Breaking Defense (22 Jun 2025) - "Operation Midnight Hammer: How the U.S. pulled it off."

Times of Israel (22 Jun 2025) - "At least 86 wounded as Iran launches missile barrages after U.S. strikes."

Reuters World (22 Jun 2025) - "Iran parliament mulls bill to quit NPT after U.S. attack."

IAEA Statement via Euronews (22 Jun 2025) - "No radiation rise detected after U.S. strike."

Reuters World (22 Jun 2025) - "Global reactions to U.S. attack on Iran."

Fox Business (22 Jun 2025) - "Oil prices seen spiking toward $100 after Gulf tensions."

Air Force Times (22 Jun 2025) - "War-powers debate heats up after Iran strike."

Al Jazeera (22 Jun 2025) - "Trita Parsi discusses the risk of greater proliferation."

Middle East Institute (22 Jun 2025) - "Kenneth Pollack discusses what success will mean for the future."

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The featured image(s) in this article were generated using AI tools and are not real photographs. They are artistic representations created to illustrate the topic for informational and editorial purposes only.