Inside Trump’s Iran Strikes: B-2 Bombers, 6 Bunker Busters, 30 Tomahawk Missiles Hit Nuclear Sites

Inside Trump’s Iran Strikes: The United States launched one of the most audacious airstrikes in recent history in the early hours of June 22, targeting three of Iran’s most fortified nuclear facilities, Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.

The operation was spearheaded by the US Air Force’s elite B-2 Spirit stealth bombers and supported by submarine-launched Tomahawk cruise missiles, in a campaign aimed at destroying Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

US President Donald Trump called the strikes “very successful”, while adding that all planes used for the attack were safely returning home. The strikes were also confirmed by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran.

However, Iran confirmed Sunday that there “no signs of contamination” after the targeted strikes at its nuclear facilities. The country's National Nuclear Safety System Center said that no radioactive release had been detected by radiation detectors, the Iranian state media reported.

The conflict escalated after Israel's strikes on Iran on June 13 under ‘Operation Rising Lion’.

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Then, without warning, he posted the news himself: “We have completed our very successful attack… All planes are safely on their way home.” With that, Trump not only made history but also sent shockwaves through a region already teetering on the edge.

At the centre of the operation were the B-2 Spirit bombers. Stealthy and silent, the B-2 is one of the most advanced aircraft in the world, capable of penetrating the most sophisticated air defenses without being detected. Less than two dozen bombers were ever built, each costing over $2 billion.

The US struck three nuclear targets in Iran, namely the Natanz, Fordo or Fordow, and Isfahan enrichment facilities.

The Natanz enrichment facility, which is located about 220 km southeast of Tehran, has already been a target of Israeli strikes earlier. It is Iran's primary nuclear facility, with Uranium being enriched to up to 60 per cent on the site, bringing it to a mildly radioactive level, but below the weapons grade, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Also Read: Iran Responds to EU’s Call for Talks After US Strikes: ‘We Never Left the Deal’

The UN nuclear watchdog said that most of the centrifuges working underground in Iran's Central Plateau as part of the Natanz enrichment facility were destroyed in earlier Israeli strikes. These were working to quicken the uranium enrichment process.

While Trump did not explicitly mention these, the B-2 bombers that struck Iran likely used this heavy ammunition to target Fordow. The GBU-57 is a massive 30,000-pound -- about 13,600 kg -- bomb that can penetrate up to 200 feet underground before exploding, giving it the name "bunker busters". What sets it apart from other missiles or bombs is that it penetrates the earth's surface before detonation, multiplying the impact exponentially.

The GBU-57 is the most powerful bunker buster in the US arsenal. It is about 20 feet in length and has a diameter of 2.6 feet. This sophisticated weapon was developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory's Munitions Directorate, and Boeing conducted its design and testing. Twelve such bombs are reported to have been used as the US struck Iran today.

At the centre of the operation were the B-2 Spirit bombers. Stealthy and silent, the B-2 is one of the most advanced aircraft in the world, capable of penetrating the most sophisticated air defenses without being detected. Less than two dozen bombers were ever built, each costing over $2 billion.

What made this mission historic was the payload, the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP). Weighing 30,000 pounds, the MOP is the most powerful non-nuclear bomb in the US arsenal.

It is designed specifically to destroy deeply buried bunkers like the Fordow facility, which lies beneath a mountain.

Each B-2 can carry two MOPs. Trump confirmed five or six were dropped on Fordow, while 30 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAMs) were fired at the Natanz and Isfahan sites.

Also Read: What Are B‑2 Stealth Bombers and Why the US Used Them to Target Iran’s Nuclear Sites | Explained