Details of the Strike
U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, revealed today (Thursday) more details of the American strike on the underground nuclear facility at Fordow. According to him, six GBU-57 bunker-penetrating munitions were precisely fired at three ventilation shafts of the facility, which the Iranians had attempted to block in advance with thick concrete slabs. The initial bombs breached the concrete, and the subsequent ones penetrated deep into the site and exploded inside.
“All the bombs functioned as planned,” Caine said in a briefing to journalists. “No one is at Fordow right now. There is no access to the site.” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, appearing alongside him, stated that anyone wanting to know what’s left at the site “will need to bring a shovel.”
Intelligence Disagreements
Despite White House statements about “obliteration”, information leaked from the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) painted a more moderate picture. According to the assessment, which is considered to have low reliability but is of interest, the enrichment facilities were not completely destroyed, and it is possible that the Iranians managed to disperse the enriched uranium to other sites. This leak sparked anger in the White House, which announced its intention to reduce the scope of intelligence information sharing with Congress. President Donald Trump sharply criticized the publication, asserting: “Nothing was taken out of facility. Would take too long, too dangerous, and very heavy and hard to move.”
Conflicting Reactions from the West
While CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard supported the version that long-term heavy damage was caused, a report in the Financial Times indicated that, according to European sources, at least some of the enriched uranium was removed from Fordow before the strike. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi also stated that the likelihood of this is being seriously examined. Nuclear law expert David Albright assessed that although not all facilities were destroyed, significant damage was inflicted that would disrupt their operations for years.
In Israel, if you were wondering, a firm stance is presented according to an IAEA report stating that the strike on Fordow “destroyed the site’s critical infrastructure.”
Israeli-American Coordination
According to a senior political source in Jerusalem, Israel was informed in advance and participated in planning the strike. According to that source, the strike was carried out in close coordination, using stealth B-2 bombers and heavy munitions. Trump even claimed that people from Israel were there after the strike. “They say it was total obliteration.” As is known, the IDF spokesperson declared that the American operation, along with strikes carried out by Israel against other components of the program, “set back Iran’s nuclear program by years.”
