Washington, D.C.: U.S. President Donald Trump stood earlier than the cameras, assured as ever. His voice didn’t waver. His phrases had been clear. “We obliterated Iran’s nuclear programme,” he claimed. No hesitation. No asterisk. Little doubt.
The president was referring to the latest US-led strike on Iran’s underground nuclear complexes. It was probably the most daring mission because the Israel-Iran battle started. Code-named ‘Operation Midnight Hammer’, it concerned B-2 stealth bombers, cruise missiles and practically 14,000 kilograms of high-grade bunker-busting bombs.
However behind the scenes, the image seems to be much less absolute.
Senior U.S. protection officers now say probably the most closely fortified web site – Isfahan – was by no means hit with bombs. It couldn’t be. The ability lies too deep. Concrete, rock, metal – all stacked over the chambers that retailer Iran’s most harmful uranium. Navy planners knew the GBU-57 bombs wouldn’t attain it. So they didn’t attempt.
As a substitute, the strike relied on Tomahawk missiles fired from US submarines. These focused floor constructions and energy traces above the location. Not the center of the advanced. Not the vaults the place the enriched uranium is stored.
Basic Dan Caine, the highest navy officer answerable for the operation, later informed lawmakers that Isfahan was a “no-go” for bunker-busters. “The depth exceeds our penetrative functionality,” he mentioned.
Isfahan reportedly holds practically 60% of Iran’s enriched uranium. A few of it at 60% purity – simply in need of weapons-grade. If that stockpile survived, Iran’s nuclear timeline has not collapsed. It’s only slowed.
Satellite tv for pc pictures taken after the strike confirmed exercise close to the power. Vehicles. Cranes. Contemporary digging. Tunnel doorways appeared open once more inside days. U.S. and Israeli intelligence officers quietly reviewed the pictures. Their consensus – Iran could have moved key materials earlier than the bombing.
President Trump has dismissed these experiences. He insists nothing was relocated. No uranium was moved. “We received all of it. There’s nothing left to cover,” he mentioned throughout a televised interview.
However intelligence briefings inform a extra cautious story.
A Protection Intelligence Company (DIA) evaluation shared with members of the Congress emphasised “extreme injury” to Fordow and Natanz – two shallower websites. However it stopped in need of confirming full destruction. “Core infrastructure at Isfahan stays structurally intact,” one official summarised.
Some lawmakers are actually urging readability.
Republican Congressman Michael McCaul, who sits on the Home International Affairs Committee, informed reporters, “We don’t assume Iran shipped something out. However a full accounting is required. We’d like inspectors again in there.”
That, nevertheless, could not occur quickly. Iran has blocked Worldwide Atomic Vitality Company (IAEA) entry to its bombed amenities because the strike. With out their cameras or inspectors, the uranium’s standing stays a thriller.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi admitted that he can not confirm what remains to be inside. “The injury above floor was huge. However we have no idea what is going on beneath,” he mentioned.
For now, Trump’s declaration stands alone. Daring. Defiant. Unmatched by proof. Whether or not it holds up, historical past will choose.