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Home » The US has bombed Iran’s nuclear sites, including Fordow

The US has bombed Iran’s nuclear sites, including Fordow

The New Neo Posted on by

It had to be done. And now it has been:

In a major strike after midnight local time, U.S. B-2 stealth bombers targeted and destroyed three of Iran’s most fortified underground nuclear sites.

The mission followed reports of six B-2s taking off from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri around midnight. While initial chatter suggested the aircraft were headed west toward Guam, Fox News national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin noted the true flight path was likely east, directly toward Iran, in what appears to have been a calculated deception. …

The Fordow complex, buried deep beneath a mountain near Qom and considered the crown jewel of Iran’s nuclear program, was the primary target. Griffin reported that multiple passes were likely needed to deliver two 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs or Massive Ordnance Penetrators, into each of the site’s two known entrances.

Each B-2 carries two such bombs. President Trump confirmed in a Truth Social post that a “full payload” was dropped on Fordow.

Natanz and Isfahan, both core to Iran’s uranium enrichment infrastructure, were also hit. Israeli aircraft had tried and failed to penetrate the underground Natanz facility earlier in the week, but U.S. bombers appear to have succeeded.

Those are the initial reports. More details should be coming soon.

And of course, there’s the question of what Iran will do next – or what it can do next. Iran has been at war with us – at a low level, although not a “cold” war – since 1979. Iran has been threatening to annihilate us as well as Israel for that same amount of time. It apparently was close to obtaining the means to do so in terms of Israel. Our attack on their nuclear facilities is the very definition of a preemptive strike.

Comments

The US has bombed Iran’s nuclear sites, including Fordow — 119 Comments

  1. I posted NYT link on this news @ 9:36 at Israel’s Infiltration. Had you already posted this?

  2. This is very disappointing.
    I realize Iran is not just Israel’s problem, but they started it and should have finished it as they said they could without US help. I was so surprised that Trump would do this that I thought maybe it was a case of insubordination, then I saw his post.
    I worry about China backing Iran. As well as who of the Death to America cult has come in via the nonexistent border. Seems every time I pass the airport waiting parking lot (uber, lyft, etc.) there is always someone with their prayer mat out facing mecca. I even was seeing it at Acadia ten years ago.

  4. How many will call for Trump’s Impeachment on Monday, or sooner.
    I am glad it got done, hopefully the attack was very effective in shutting down Iran’s nuke facilities.
    And, a nice head fake on the B-2’s

  5. https://x.com/AOC/status/1936600627221565468

    Ocasio-Cortez:

    “The President’s disastrous decision to bomb Iran without authorization is a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers.

    He has impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations.

    It is absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment.”

    Never learns. Can’t.

    On account of the cant.

  6. Impeachment is just air-head blather. AOC seems not to understand or admit that impeachment is analogous to indictment; the Senate then holds a trial.
    I am quite sick of having our Democratic MSM report on every one of these female blatherers burps or f**ts.

  7. Democrats and Isolationist “conservatives” are most deeply troubled, and BHO’s best laid plans have gone agley.

    I for one am deeply thankful for our President, not the Autopen (FJB).

  8. I caught wind of that a few hours ago on more questionable sites but it is true. Even wiki says so and quotes Trump:
    _____________________________

    We have completed our very successful attack on the three nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter.

    –Donald J. Trump
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_strikes_on_Iranian_nuclear_sites
    _____________________________

    I had a feeling Trump wasn’t going to give Iran two weeks to FAFO.

  9. From what I’ve read/watched, the expectation for Fordow is that the mountain will collapse and bury all of Iran’s centrifuges, equipment and, I suspect, personnel working in a last-minute sprint to build nuclear weapons for the mullahs.

    Inshallah. (God willing.)

  10. They have been chanting ” Death to America” for decades.
    To me, this bombing is far more clearly called for than the Iraq Invasion.
    Yet there are people who seem to be ignorant – or ignoring -the history of Iran stating ” Death to America” and ties to the deaths of many Americans over the years.

  12. @DisGuested: This is very disappointing.

    Not me.

    If you haven’t noticed, no one is backing Iran. Not Hezbollah, not Russia, not China. If they were, we would have heard.

    I suspect most countries, including Russia and China, can read the tea leaves. Iran is toast and they have their own fish to fry.

    I even suspect that most countries, even our enemies, would prefer that Iran wasn’t nuclear and in a position to destabilize the entire world.

  17. Which Federal Circuit Court Judge will issue the first Injunction or Restraining Order? Dollars to donuts a lawsuit has already been filed for the mullahs, (sarc)

  19. Huxley: I pray you are correct.
    I am aware that this may have started with Carter in 1979; escalating in Beirut 1983 etc. Et al. But I thought Trump was America First, not finisher of what Israel starts. How about those western powers closer to the peril stepping up? How about those Middle East neighbors who don’t like Iran (and who sit on trillions) chipping in?! Why is it up to us?

  20. The Chinese are pragmatic. They know there is nothing material they can do to tip things in the favor of Iran even slightly any more.

  21. Israel didn’t start “this.”

    Iran has been working to get a nuclear weapon for more than 20 years.

    What part of “Death to America” do you understand DisGuested?

  22. What is the benefit for America that iran had nukes. Isolationists said we couldn’t do nothing to russia because of nukes so we let them murdered hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians, why do we want to give iran, a bona fide rogue and terrorist state, the same leverage? Why? If your answer is they ain’t suicidal and there is no reason to start a war, you said that about russia and Ukraine too. Iran cannot have nukes, period, that is the bottom line, allowing iran to have nukes actually make American boots on the ground inevitable. If we had to bribe them to delay, before they actually had it, how much more we have to bribe them when they have it?

  24. DisGuested watches the late night TV test patterns and thinks he’s getting the news, it seems.

  25. Almost every conservative blog I follow has crank-bots inserting the false “doing Israel’s will” meme.

    1. America has been at war with Islamist Iran since 1979. Their rhetoric – and policy of terror – was clear.

    2. Decades of appeasement, Western abasement – and in Obama’s case, treasonous abetting of terror – have finally been replaced with deterrence… China first airlifted materiel to Iran, but has now fallen silent as they realize they are no longer dealing with a White House of self-negating squishes.

    3. This is exactly the kind of cooperation that President Trump and VP Vance sketched out during their Spank-the-Children tour of Europe a few months ago: an ally taking responsibility for their own defense and the stability of their region – with material and tactical help from the USA, but no American boots on the ground.

    This is what the Trump Doctrine looks like.
    ———————————————————
    Like most MAGA voters – this is exactly what DJT promised me, and exactly what I voted for.

    An important side effect: Like the ICE riots, this is another bright line of common sense patriotism that highlights how malevolent our elites have become… Bring those midterm elections!

  26. Great news, Trump & (Bibi at) Israel might create a peaceful Middle East! Even before the primaries for 2026 House seats.

    Benevolent, most powerful, anti-imperial authoritarian, using only powers Congress has already given to POTUS, more in tune with the War Powers Act than Obama’s bombing & activities in Libya.
    Lots of good tweets, many noted on Instapundit.

    Best aside is one of Bush & cabinet from 2001.
    https://x.com/NiohBerg/status/1936584766117060842?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1936584766117060842%7Ctwgr%5E876dfade2c281a3bdb8ad64888ae1f4c75145768%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Finstapundit.com%2F727660%2F
    — The Apprentice host will bomb Iran.

    Peace from overpowering force available and will for peace.
    Peace requires acceptance of ALL willing to be peaceful with you, no matter how wrong you think they are about ideas or morals or lifestyle choices.

  27. As usual, democrats are going crazy over the bombing in Iran.

    Tonight, the President ignored the Constitution by unilaterally engaging our military without Congressional authorization.
    I join my colleagues in demanding answers from the Administration on this operation which endangers American lives and risks further escalation and…
    — Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) June 22, 2025

    I think the POTUS would need congressional approval in order to declare war. But this was only an operation. A very successful operation. But since there is no declaration of war, was it necessary to get the approval of congress? I don’t think so. Correct me if I’m wrong. And if he had notified congress I feel sure it would have been leaked.

    https://legalinsurrection.com/2025/06/democrats-furious-at-trump-decision-to-bomb-irans-nuke-sites/

  28. The US has no intention of going any further. Destroying the Iranian nuclear bomb capability was our only objective, and it appears to have been achieved.

    Israel still has to deal with some ballistic missiles, which it is capable of doing without further U.S. Air Force assistance.

    Here in the US, we now can have less fear of a smuggled Iranian dirty bomb in a major US city.

  29. I note that Jennifer Griffin, at Fox News, says she’s never seen such operational security. That means nobody leaked to her. Well done, Hegseth and staff!

  31. Well if Trump’s bombing of Iran is as successful as he claims, this will really get the demonkrats and their media propagandists knickers in a twist.
    They would have much preferred the bombers colliding in mid-air , crash and burn and having a few dozen US airmen killed or captured, or otherwise have the mission to be a total failure.
    I am not joking when I say the above.

    If Joke Bidet had ordered the bombing – I know, he never would have – , whether senile or not – these same demonkrats and their MSM propaganda organs would be effusive in their praise for Bidet, and claiming a threat to the world has been reduced.

  32. Been due for decades. Iran under the mullahs has been a festering sore, and finally gotten what should have been done after the embassy hostage-taking.

    Supposedly, the 12th Iman would appear after a cataclysmic war and general destruction. I don’t think the prophecy specifies exactly who initiates the war and destruction…

  33. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/410429

    These ratios are a bit alarming. Where heretofore we were told the strike to launch ratios were 1 in 10, now they appear to be 1 in 3. I don’t know what that means exactly, whether for instance, the capabilities of the missiles launched are better or on the other hand that the interceptors are fewer and therefore less successful, or something else is afoot. Either way, the possibility of a mass casualty event would seem to be increasing, rather than diminishing, and that’s not good.

  35. “That means nobody leaked to her. Well done, Hegseth and staff!”

    Kate, that also means that in the past, the military staff DID leak! Trump is cleaning house, and it’s long overdue.

  37. Something super-ironic in the title of the previous post. Is Trump a Neo reader? LOL

  38. ”I note that Jennifer Griffin, at Fox News, says she’s never seen such operational security.”

    The op-sec and deception involved in this operation were beautiful. I spent most of the day yesterday online watching six B-2s take off from Whiteman AFB in Missouri with their transponders on and head west toward Guam. They immediately hit tankers from Altus in Oklahoma, communicated over open channels with San Fran ATC, hit tankers again off the coast of California, flew across the Pacific, and hit tankers again from Hawaii. All of this was visible to anyone if you knew where to look.

    It was all a ruse. The actual strike package took off shortly before the decoys with their transponders off and headed east across the Atlantic. The tankers used for this package were hidden among those servicing generic fighter and cargo planes heading to Europe and the Middle East. Nobody knew the actual strike package was even airborne until the bombs hit. Just masterful.

    Say what you will about Trump and Hegseth, but they brought some competence back to the Pentagon.

  39. “It was all a ruse.”

    Maybe.
    Some are saying the Guam-wards B-2s were meant to “grab China’s attention”.
    Make ‘em think twice about…about what? Hmm.

    OMMV.

  40. So here’s what the lefty minions are saying:

    “now is the time for peace right after I bomb your country, what a clown”

    “All trump supporters need to step to the front line because this is on YOU!”

    “You’ll wake up when a nuclear bomb is dropped here”

    “Iran has never attacked us!”

    Many claiming that innocent Iranians were killed in the raid. Also they’ve already picked up on the “No More Wars!” line, and calls for impeachment. It’s really amusing, and a bit sad, to see their reactions and how they never recognize that there is evil (except for Trump!) that has to be addressed. I could see them in Serengeti and a raging rhino charging them, and they would try to pet it.

  41. yes the track west from guam, didn’t make any sense, its about 5,000 miles give or take, but geography isn’t a thing with news readers,

    fwiw the majlis says it has authorized to close the straits, how they do that, is your guess as well as mint,

  42. Tucker Carlson and his Muslim money backers hardest hit.

    Not one American even scratched – what kind of BS will he spew now?

  44. It’s been said that Trump is a Jacksonian in foreign policy – not a hawk, not a dove, but something else.

    What he’s doing here makes perfect sense in that context. He wants a strong America and a strong American military, but he’s not going to launch ideological regime change wars. In that sense, I believe he’s an awful lot closer to the Reaganite “peace-through-strength” thinking than the George W. Bush-era neocons. (I use “neocon” to refer to the foreign-policy school that was ascendant in the post-9/11 GOP, and not to make any sort of slight or implication about our host. I understand that our host uses “neocon” to refer to a political changer who becomes conservative. That’s not how I’m using it here.)

    Credit where credit is due – Trump’s Jacksonian turn is an awful lot better than W. Bush-era neocons, or Democrats’ alternative (which is a incoherent mishmash of the worst of the W-era neocon thinking, aggressive woke proselytizating, and wishful thinking about the intentions of certain of our enemies).

    Let us all pray that this situation resolves well. As with any big move, there is still a lot of risk.

  47. The beginning of the end of Iran’s war with America? The second Iraq war, and regional ethnic Springs, ended with a timely, well placed missile up an Iranian proxy.

  48. But no regime change…

    …Which is an interesting take because in the case of Iran, there just might be a replacement that is legitimate and credible as well as possibly acceptable by a significant swath of Iranians…especially after the long national nightmare, courtesy of the mullahs and their—at least at first—French (“interestingly”) enablers….

  49. Wow, the BDA pictures look like it literally blew off the roof of one of the tunnels. Like the roof is on the surface laying next to the tunnel.

  51. The minions have now come to agreement that the attack was to deflect attention from what is hidden in the big beautiful bill.

    Sigh…. can they get any crazier?

  53. Listening to Nadav Eyal (Israeli journalist) on a podcast. He says the nuclear sites are destroyed. So does Trump. Anyone have anything on how they know that?

  54. It seems the Iranian mullahs have enough enriched uranium for ten–10– Hiroshima-type nukes now. Because of the imbecilic Left, we have open borders, so must be wary of a dirty radioactive bomb making it into the USA easily. The mullahs would love to detonate it in Washington DC or NYC.

    This is not over.

  55. I am old enough to remember the incredible screw ups by Jimmie Carter on Iran. Decades of evil followed.

    The Mullahs follow a bizarre messianic eschatology—”Twelver” Shia Islam—through which they wish (or wished) to take over the entire world.

    The Twelfth Imam is supposed to emerge from a sacred well and rule the world.

    Why is the press unable to talk about Twelver beliefs. Twelver Iran is not a normal Islamic place.

  56. “…how they know that?”

    THAT is the 64 zillion-dollar question.

    (No matter how much one hopes they are correct…)
    – – – – – – –
    “This is not over.”

    Unfortunately.

    These guys don’t give up, crying “war crimes” and “illegal” and “human rights”…to the rooftops…as they look for ways to continue to achieve their declared goal of destroying their opponents.

    (Kinda like Democrats, actually…)

  57. I have never seen Trump as an isolationist but as a Jacksonian. He is routinely derided as being impulsive and erratic but his views on the use of American military force have been consistent over decades (as well as his key domestic policies of trade and immigration):

    1. He wants our allies to step up and do their share
    2. He wants the countries in the theater to take action first
    3. Deployment of US forces is a last resort, not a first resort

    I believe one reason he has always been pro-Israel is that despite the amount of military aid Israel gets from the US it is very good on 1 and 2, much better in particular than our traditional Western European allies.

    Finally despite the fears of blowback, which are not unjustified, I am confident Trump took that into account before acting. Any retaliatory action you can think of that Iran might take I’m sure Trump (and his team including Hegseth who is looking great right now) has thought of himself.

  58. sdferr – But luckily no fatalities at least as of yet. We’ll see if this is a trend rather some random variation.

  59. I recall Obama bombing maybe half a dozen countries. The dems seem to think he used the appropriate constitutional provision(s) and I presume Trump did the same. No problem with Obama’s efforts, so none with Trump’s. Right? Right?

    I don’t expect the mullahocracy to survive, even if a couple of the mullahs do. The IRGC probably doesn’t have much local support, especially the ones left over after the IDF gets through. Various departments have been scrambled, some by premature burials, some by leaving for greener climes, some by just staying home. Something may emerge from the rubble. Whether it looks like the current version, or a New England Town Meeting democracy out of Norman Rockwell, did we do “regime change”?

  60. What comes next? I think we’ve moved on from talking about Tucker Carlson. He can only marginalize himself joining the anti-Trump left.

    Good conversation. Fast forward to minute 34:00 where Mark Dubowitz raises questions about Khamenei’s response. The west thinks in terms of rational responses by leaders separate from their ideological positions– but Khamenei is not rational according to Dubowitz.

    FBI Director Patel has put his agency on high alert, but will softer targets of Jews and Iranian dissidents in other parts of the world be targeted.

    I think President Trump is aware that our involvement is not over– in fact, he explicitly said further strikes will come if the regime doesn’t seek a peaceful resolution.

    Trump Bombs Iran’s Nuclear Sites | Bari Weiss, Haviv Rettig Gur, Eli Lake, & More

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ymory2Fgdc

  61. Well done to our military. The strike apparently accomplished the goal of destroying Iran’s nuclear facilities. Bavo Zulu!

    However, the regime, which is basically a bunch of radical Islamic thugs, is used to getting its way. Forty-six years of being at war with Isarael and the USA with little or no consequences has given them a sense that they are immune to consequences. The least likely scenario, IMO, is that they will agree to negotiations at this point. Much more pressure and possibly decapitation of the Ayatollah may be necessary.

    I expect a campaign of terrorism to be unleashed by their terror cells and lone wolves all over the West. We need to be ready to deal with that if it occurs. Truck bombs, cars used as weapons to mow people down, and mass shootings could all be coming. I hope I’m wrong.

  62. physicsguy, believing this was a “wag the dog” operation to deflect attention from domestic policy is crazy. But we already knew that.

  63. If Obama/Biden/Harris were President, Democrats would say “Gutsy call!”

    Reagan era bumper sticker: “We Like Our Chief.”

    It seems that if Iran retaliates in any way, further strikes on her infrastructure and leaders will follow. Would Iran’s leaders then buckle, or go full Twelver? Or could a more pragmatic government be formed?

  64. So I’ve now seen claims by the left that the Iranians moved everything out of Fordow 3 days before, and followed up with a supposed satellite pic of about a hundred trucks lined up there. Anyone else seen that? I assume AI generated to support their argument that Trump was duped, or that he knew and went ahead for political gain.

    I can’t believe that the US and Israel didn’t have eyes on the location 24/7.

  66. More likely, the Iranians were spoofed into thinking an Israeli ground op was more likely and those trucks were sealing up some of the tunnels which then actually increased the effects of the bombs. I.e. the bomb blasts couldn’t vent through those blocked tunnels. Anyway…

  70. @ Bob Wilson – readers on X added this note to your link, so it may not be Fordow.
    But it probably looks much the same.

    Readers added context to this video
    This footage is from September 2024 when a Ukrainian kamikaze drone struck Russia’s missile and ammunition arsenal, the Toropets Facility, located in the Tver region.

  71. @ miguel – loved Rowling’s put-down of Willoughby.

    However, “like chickens for chick a fil” — it’s Chick-fil-A.
    America’s Chicken Sandwich.
    Which I bet they don’t have in Iran.

    PS the “better trans rights than in UK or US” means gays get gender conversion surgery or get killed. Not great options.

  72. @ om > “Which Federal Circuit Court Judge will issue the first Injunction or Restraining Order?”

    Turley had some cold water to throw on the Democrat pearl-clutchers about that.
    https://jonathanturley.org/2025/06/22/the-claude-rains-school-of-constitutional-law-democrats-denounce-iranian-attack-as-unconstitutional/

    [My Fox] column noted that many Democratic politicians and pundits who were supportive of such unilateral actions by Democratic presidents such as Bill Clinton and Barack Obama are suddenly opposed to Trump using the same power. It is the Claude Rains School of Constitutional Law where politicians are “shocked, shocked” that Trump is using the authority that they accepted in Democratic predecessors.

    Democratic members are calling for impeachment, while others are declaring the attacks unconstitutional. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is particularly shocked that Trump took the action and is calling for a vote under the War Powers Act.
    …
    Schumer is the same politician who was silent or supportive in earlier unilateral attacks by Democratic presidents. In 2011, Obama approved a massive military campaign against Libya. I represented a bipartisan group of members of Congress challenging that action. We were unsuccessful, as were such prior challenges.
    …
    Democrats were supportive when Clinton launched cruise missile attacks under Operation Infinite Reach on two continents on August 20, 1998. He ordered attacks in locations in Khartoum, Sudan, and Khost Province, Afghanistan.

    The War Powers Act has always been controversial and largely ineffectual. Presidents have long asserted the inherent powers to conduct such attacks under their Article II authority as the designated Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
    ..
    Obama also defied the War Powers resolution on Syria. He actually did ask for congressional authorization to take military action in that country in 2013, but Congress refused to approve it. He did it anyway. Despite Congress expressly denying ”authorization for the introduction of United States Armed Forces,” both Obama and Trump did precisely that.

    Trump was wise to notify Congress. However, what occurs after that is anyone’s guess. The WPA and the AUMF have been paper tigers for decades and most in Congress wanted it that way. Politicians long ago abandoned their responsibilities to declare war. What remains has been little more than political theater.

    Even under the WPA, Trump would have 60 days to prosecute this war and another 30 days to draw down forces without congressional approval. The court, in Campbell v. Clinton, noted that even if Clinton violated the WPA by continuing operations after the 60-day period, he was technically in compliance by withdrawing forces before the end of the 90-day period.

    Trump could likely prosecute this campaign in 90 days. Indeed, if it goes beyond 90 days, we will likely be facing a potential global war with retaliatory strikes on both sides. In such an environment, it is very unlikely that Congress would withhold support for our ongoing operations.

    In the meantime, the calls for impeachment are absurd given the prior actions of presidents in using this very authority. Once again, some Democrats appear intent on applying a different set of rules for impeaching Trump than any of his predecessors. Trump can cite both history and case law in allowing presidents to take such actions. At most, the line over war powers is murky. The Framers wanted impeachments to be based on bright-line rules in establishing high crimes and misdemeanors.
    …
    Trump has a great number of risks in this action from global military and economic consequences. The War Powers Act is not one of them if history is any measure.

  73. @ John > “I think the POTUS would need congressional approval in order to declare war. But this was only an operation. A very successful operation. But since there is no declaration of war, was it necessary to get the approval of congress? I don’t think so. Correct me if I’m wrong. And if he had notified congress I feel sure it would have been leaked.”

    Agreed.
    Commenters at the LI post were pretty much on the same page (well, several screens, but that’s the idiom and we’re stuck with it).

    My favorite:

    AF_Chief_Master_Sgt in reply to mailman. | June 22, 2025 at 6:59 am
    You have to admit, dropping a few bombs on Iran was more effective than what Biden gave to Ukraine.

    At least with yesterday we can be assured that the money didn’t line the pockets of democrats.

    The democrats are just pissed that they can’t get political donations through a money laundering scheme.

  74. @ Kate > “I note that Jennifer Griffin, at Fox News, says she’s never seen such operational security. That means nobody leaked to her. Well done, Hegseth and staff!”

    So much for the furor over the chat that included a newsie (outside of Hegseth’s control, and IIRC the perp was identified and suitably chastised).

    https://pjmedia.com/victoria-taft/2025/06/21/incredible-opsec-shocking-stealth-audacious-deception-by-trump-in-lead-up-to-us-strike-on-nukes-in-iran-n4941045

    The first word anyone heard of American B-2 bomber strikes on Iranian nuclear sites was by President Donald Trump himself on TruthSocial right after 8 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday night.
    …
    There was nary a leak. There was no chest beating from Congress. No reports of “we hear that…” The Operational Security leading to this strike on a Saturday appears to have been flawless.

    While all the pieces on the chess board were being moved—doomsday planes, B-2, carrier strike groups, there were multiple feints used by the Trump Administration to lull the mullahs into thinking they had a little time to get out of this dilemma.

    Trump told the Iranian leadership, or what remains of it after Israel’s tactical strikes on their penthouses, that he’d give them up to two weeks to give up their nuclear enrichment program.

    Two days later, the mission was put into motion.

    Two squadrons of B-2 bombers kept up the feint.
    …
    We’ll soon find out all the moving parts of this mission, but that’s a lot of people who said not a word about this mission.
    …
    The World War II generation was told that “loose lips sink ships.” Trump made sure that this generation of war fighters kept everything on closer-than-close hold.

    And hence the wisdom of giving Hegseth free rein to dispose of the loose-lippers before they were able to compromise the mission.

  75. @ Sgt. Mom > “I don’t think the prophecy specifies exactly who initiates the war and destruction…”

    There is good precedent for that observation.
    https://greek.mythologyworldwide.com/famous-oracles-the-most-notable-predictions-from-delphi/

    The Oracle of Delphi is famous for several notable predictions that profoundly impacted individuals and civilizations. Some of the most significant oracles include:

    The prophecy to Croesus: “If you cross the river, a great empire will fall.” This warning led the wealthy king of Lydia, Croesus, to misinterpret the message, believing it referred to his enemies. In reality, it foretold his own downfall when he attacked Persia.

    Well, we hope that last part doesn’t apply here, since Iran is the successor to Persia, but maybe we have a karmic reversal.

    History doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes.

  76. @ physicsguy > “followed up with a supposed satellite pic of about a hundred trucks lined up there. Anyone else seen that?”

    See the video om linked.
    “A short analysis of satellite images of the Fordow facility.”
    It has some speculation, but no real information.

    Bonus video:
    B-2 stealth bomber
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wMM87UKr_c

  77. Question for the physics folks:
    If a location storing enriched uranium is bombed, and we get big clouds of dirt blown into the air, is any of that flying dirt contaminated with the pulverized uranium containers?

    I assume that’s been thought of at Higher Levels, but I’m curious about how safe that kind of thing is.
    Nothing about weapons-grade uranium is really safe, is it?

  78. Well, I have those questions as well. I heard someone on TV say “our forces deliberately didn’t target the enriched uranium storage facilities.” That’s a paraphrase, maybe shouldn’t be in quotes. But all of the maps I have seen of these underground facilities show storage facilities reasonably nearby the centrifuges. Bombs that big can’t be that precise. I’d think if one gets breached the other will too. So where are the radioactive signatures of a breached storage facility? And yes, I’d certainly think there should be. It vexes me. It is certainly possible that the Iranians, worried of a strike, moved the enriched uranium, Keane is on the TV right now saying that is exactly what all those trucks were doing. Maybe.

  79. A word about “enriched” uranium. I don’t like the term because it lacks precision. There are several isotopes of uranium. All uranium has 92 protons, but can have very different numbers of neutrons. 143 neutrons makes U-235 (protons + neutrons) – that is special. Add just one neutron and it tries to become U-236, but that is unstable and the nucleus splits in a millisecond – the splitting on an atom. So actually, if you’ve got a bunch of U-235, “splitting the atom”, isn’t hard at all. Just add one neutron and you’ve done it.

    So “enriched” uranium is just uranium with an abundance of U-235 specifically, fortunately easier said than done.

    Now, I move beyond my element and will lean on the other science folks here. I don’t know anything about a dirty bomb. If they’ve moved uranium that’s 60% U-235 I’m assuming that would do the trick. Spread that over a large area and you’ve got a problem, but I really don’t know exactly how dangerous that is.

  80. AesopFan:

    My understanding is that the Fordow bunkers were around 260 feet down. The bombs were expected to collapse the mountain on top of the bunkers so not much of the contents, mainly uranium hexafluoride (UF6) gas, would reach the surface.

    We’ll see. I’m sure we’ll hear of the radiation measurements.

    I assume that’s been thought of at Higher Levels

    Indeed. We have Top Men, Top … Men, working on it right now. 🙂

    –“Raiders of the Lost Ark”
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fdjf4lMmiiI

  81. @Aesop Fan:Nothing about weapons-grade uranium is really safe, is it?

    Nothing in this fallen world is really safe. I doubt anyone not actually living on that mountain would be adversely affected. I’m sure there would eventually be detectable particles from the explosion found everywhere in the world, but that wouldn’t make them a hazard worth worrying about.

    I would recommend the Banana equivalent dose chart to help put things in perspective: radiation hazards are compared to the dose you get eating one banana.

    Pay close attention to the Fukushima doses: the dose received by folks in Tokyo two weeks afterward was about half that of living in concrete or brick building for a year, and about the same as three flights from New York to LA.

  82. All those trucks lined up for what? I saw some of those pictures and wondered. Wouldn’t all of the enriched uranium required to build a bomb fit into one truck? Just how big is this supposed bomb? Even if it were 10 bombs, I would have thought the enriched uranium required would not be by the truckloads, even in the containment devices.

    My understanding is that those were dump trucks, delivering dirt to fill the entry tunnels preemptively, in order to prevent them being used as a way of delivering explosive forces to the inner structure.

  83. @Mike Plaiss: If they’ve moved uranium that’s 60% U-235 I’m assuming that would do the trick [for a dirty bomb].

    That’s what I worry about.

    But given the superb competence Israel and US have displayed so far, I’m willing to trust their judgment.

  84. @Aggie: My understanding is that those were dump trucks, delivering dirt to fill the entry tunnels preemptively, in order to prevent them being used as a way of delivering explosive forces to the inner structure.

    That what I’ve heard.

    We’ll see.

  85. Your comment is reasonable to me Aggie. I like Jack Keane a lot. He often seems the voice of reason, but he has to be speculating here – granted his speculation is worth more than mine. I’m not trying to be a gadfly, I’m just on guard against wishful thinking. Where is the enriched uranium? If it was at those sites then I’m skeptical they were destroyed. If it was moved, we still have a problem.

  86. What do they call it? Intersectionalism?

    “IDF: IRGC planned to send arms worth $50m to Hamas in Gaza”—
    https://www.jns.org/idf-irgc-planned-to-send-arms-worth-50m-to-hamas-in-gaza/

    Key tidbits:

    …Documents seized by IDF soldiers in the Gaza Strip during the war reveal far-reaching coordination between Hamas, Iran, Hezbollah and Qatar in the years leading up to the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, shattering the perception that Hamas planned the assault alone….

    …Already in 2021, following the IDF’s “Operation Guardian of the Walls,” Sinwar began formulating an attack plan, with Iranian and Hezbollah backing, the documents show. Hamas requested $500 million from Tehran over two years to fund its preparations for the terrorist invasion.

    Nasrallah endorsed the goal of Israel’s destruction, while Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was said to have approved Hamas launching the attack without Hezbollah’s full participation.

    As many as 500 terrorists affiliated with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, based in the Gaza Strip, trained in the Islamic Republic leading up to the Oct. 7 assault, The Wall Street Journal reported in late 2023.

    Tehran hailed the attacks as a “success,” saying the murder of some 1,200 people, primarily Jewish civilians, was a response to the 2020 targeted killing of Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad by the United States.

    So much for Anthony Weasel Blinken’s “As far as we know, Iran was not involved in the October 7 attack…” (Or was it, “We have no information that Iran was involved in….”?
    Or could it have been, “ The October 7 attack was Russian disinformation…”?)

  87. Speaking of “Russian Disinformation” and “election meddling”, those Rooskies sure were useful to the Democrats…

    “Chinese and Iranian meddling efforts buried by intelligence community during, after 2020 election”—
    https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/chinese-influence-efforts-buried-and-iranian-meddling-downplayed-during

    Yep, a card to be played again and again and again…especially, it seems, to pocket some serious moolah over the Russia-Ukraine, um, kinetic action….

  88. Dirty bombs and highly enriched Uranium (HEU)? HEU is very expensive to acquire and much more valuable for a fission device, it isn’t that toxic in itself or deadly IMO. Plutonium is much more toxic, but also more valuable for a fisson device. If you want a dirty bomb try fission products or Cobalt-60 around high explosives.

    Toxicological Profile for Uranium – National Center for Biotechnology Information

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK158798/

    Uranium is a heavy metal that forms compounds and complexes of different varieties and solubilities. The chemical action of all isotopes and isotopic mixtures of uranium is identical, regardless of the specific activity (i.e., enrichment), because chemical action depends only on chemical properties. Thus, the chemical toxicity of a given amount or weight of natural, depleted, and enriched uranium is identical.

    The toxicity of uranium varies according to its chemical form and route of exposure. On the basis of the toxicity of different uranium compounds in animals, it was concluded that the relatively more water-soluble compounds (uranyl nitrate, uranium hexafluoride, uranyl fluoride, uranium tetrachloride) were the most potent systemic toxicants. The poorly water-soluble compounds (uranium tetrafluoride, sodium diuranate, ammonium diuranate) were of moderate-to-low systemic toxicity, and the insoluble compounds (uranium trioxide, uranium dioxide, uranium peroxide, triuranium octaoxide) had a much lower potential to cause systemic toxicity but could cause pulmonary toxicity when exposure was by inhalation. The terms soluble, poorly soluble, and insoluble are often used in this profile without relisting the specific compounds. Generally, hexavalent uranium, which tends to form relatively soluble compounds, is more likely to be a systemic toxicant than tetravalent uranium, which forms relatively insoluble compounds. Ingested uranium is less toxic than inhaled uranium, which may be partly attributable to the relatively low gastrointestinal absorption of uranium compounds.

    Because natural uranium produces very little radioactivity per mass of uranium, the renal and respiratory effects from exposure of humans and animals to uranium are usually attributed to the chemical properties of uranium. However, in exposures to more radioactive uranium isotopes (e.g., 232U and 233U, and combined 234U and 235U in enriched uranium), it has been suggested that the chemical and radiological toxicity may be additive or may potentiate in some instances. In these instances, this dual mode of uranium toxicity may not be distinguishable by end point because of the overlap of etiology and manifested effects. Although the mechanism of this interaction is as yet unclear, it is not necessary to know it in order to identify critical targets of toxicity or evaluate the dose-response relationships.

  89. @ Niketas – thank you for the BED radiation chart.
    Interesting that the first example was that of sleeping next to someone!
    I will keep eating bananas, but I don’t intend to fly from NY to LA anytime soon.
    The radiation might not kill you, but being in either of those cities is getting problematic.
    As is flying on a Boeing plane.

  91. Keane is on the TV right now saying that is exactly what all those trucks were doing.

    I doubt it. And it isn’t like they were sneaky, I expect they were watched. A single picture doesn’t tell you what they were doing, you would need to see them in action.

  92. @ Barry, from your link > “Tehran hailed the attacks as a “success,” saying the murder of some 1,200 people, primarily Jewish civilians, was a response to the 2020 targeted killing of Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad by the United States.”

    Well, the first victory of King Pyrrhus over the Romans was technically a success.

    Iran should have made a deal.

    https://www.mei.edu/blog/killing-qassem-soleimani-analysis-mei-experts

    The killing of Qassem Soleimani: Analysis from MEI experts
    January 3, 2020

    The killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Quds Force, was a major and unexpected blow to the Iranian leadership. It punctured the aura of invincibility and the hubris that have characterized Soleimani and his colleagues’ behavior. Soleimani was killed primarily because he felt he was untouchable. Otherwise, he would not have let his guard down in a country where the United States has thousands of soldiers stationed and a good intelligence ground game, especially after ordering an Iraqi militia funded by his Quds Force to storm the U.S. embassy — a humiliating, “in your face” move against a United States whose president takes such acts of public affront very personally.
    …
    Qassem Soleimani was a bad actor with significant American blood on his hands. As our former Special Envoy for Combatting ISIS, Brett McGurk, observed, there is a deserving measure of justice here. He had his fingerprints on virtually every nefarious activity that Iran was involved with. In my estimation, he was a driver of instability in the region. Additionally, if he was indeed plotting against our people or interests (and I trust our IC professionals and their assessments), then we have an obligation to protect ourselves.
    …
    The killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani marks a new escalation in the U.S.-Iran crisis. Since May, it was Iran that was escalating and Donald Trump who was not taking the bait; now it is the U.S. that has escalated in a significant way. We shall see where and in what way Iran responds.
    …
    In closing, we can expect dangerous, but not unfettered, developments in the months ahead. No de-escalation or negotiation is in sight for 2020. But 2021 — with Trump 2.0 or a Democratic president — will present a major opportunity for broad negotiation. Iran will still be desperately in need of economic relief. If it’s willing to give up its strategy of maintaining standing militias in other peoples’ countries and behave more like a state than an ongoing religious revolution, then perhaps a deal can be done.

    With Biden Inc. providing all the relief Iran wanted, and presenting no danger to their proxy militias, the Mullahs got a 4-year reprieve.
    Maybe they forgot that Trump was different from all the presidents preceding him.

    Bonus link for legal eagles:
    https://www.jagreporter.af.mil/Post/Article-View-Post/Article/2539536/the-killing-of-qassem-soleimani/
    “This article examines three possible justifications under international law for the strike.”

  93. You may not be…but if you ARE a bit puzzled by the motivations, thought processes (such as they are) and intentions of the so-called “America Firsters”, Lee Smith connects the dots, bushwhacks through the confusion…and, as he so often does, says the quiet part out loud:

    “Trump’s Opponents Want to Humble the USA;
    “What do Iran’s nuclear ambitions have to do with America First? A lot.”—
    https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/trump-opponents-humble-america

  96. The other amazing thing was that Trump maintained intelligence integrity for the operation. I guess as 45 he was stabbed in the back often enough. See Milley, Mark.

    No one leaked the attack plans.

    Perhaps not as impressive as D-Day. But still damned impressive today.

  97. “physicsguy on June 22, 2025 at 4:03 pm said:
    So I’ve now seen claims by the left that the Iranians moved everything out of Fordow 3 days before, and followed up with a supposed satellite pic of about a hundred trucks lined up there. Anyone else seen that? I assume AI generated to support their argument that Trump was duped, or that he knew and went ahead for political gain.

    I can’t believe that the US and Israel didn’t have eyes on the location 24/7.”

    I’ve seen commentary that those trucks were used to bring in dirt to fill in tunnels and vents so that they couldn’t be used as delivery points for munitions.

    My understanding is that moving the enriched uranium would not require anywhere near that amount of vehicles. Of course you’ve got the possibility of the Iranians using many decoy trucks………..

    And yes – I struggle to believe that Israel would not keep track of any uranium movements via human intelligence, and the US via satellite.

  98. I’m not taking a position (yet) on this whole subject of whether Iran was able to get the enriched uranium out before the attack. It’s early, don’t believe what I read or hear, fog of war, all that.

    But what is obvious is that the people who hate Trump are desperately hoping the attack was a failure. Because if it succeeded that would make Trump look good. And that is so much worse than Iran having nuclear weapons!

  99. Looks like Iran has decided to close the Straits of Hormuz.

    And the Russians are saying that they (and others?) would be amenable to giving Iran nuclear weapons.

    Where this Iran mess will go and when it will end is unknowable.

    Those claiming that the existing leadership of Iran is doomed are full of baloney.
    Nobody knows what will happen to the existing leadership there.
    Those predicting the downfall of Iran’s leadership are just guessing; they have no idea, it’s all conjecture.
    Makes no difference if those pontificating are high ranking present or former military personal; they are just guessing, but they state their views with confidence but it’s still a guess.

    We can only hope that events there work out for the better.

  100. JohnTyler
    Iran’s present leadership may survive in the rubble and reconstitute. But that means presuming the Israelis don’t kill them and their replacements down the organization charts to latrine orderly.
    Two separate scenarios.

  101. We see (as we would expect to see) the Israeli target set altering gradually over time. Today we find the focus still on missile stockpiles, launchers and manufacturing sites, still on military capabilities such as anti-air batteries, fighter jets, attack helicopters, airbases, runways, bunker-hangers, etc., still on remaining aspects of the nuclear-weapons programs — machining workshops, infrastructure, transportation access, etc. — and finally, new target sets added on, namely symbolic political targets and practical political targets being rubbleized, such as the Israel-doomsday clock, Evin prison gates, Basij headquarters demolished, IRGC installations pummeled. Looks like the air campaign, barring changes in the Iranian response thus far, will be slowing down soon (though I expect an overwatch air presence will remain for a time after bombing slows to a crawl or stops).

  102. this whole subject of whether Iran was able to get the enriched uranium out before the attack

    One could argue that they would be more likely to move enriched uranium into Fordow, for safety. The MOPs were advertised as not having sufficient penetration to reach the facility.

  103. Looks like Iran has decided to close the Straits of Hormuz.
    ==
    Which will last up to the point until a disgruntled country with a real navy shows us and sweeps out the mines and sinks their ships.

  104. Thanks Chuck for adroitly cutting to the chase. That is precisely my concern. If we can destroy all the ventilation shafts and access we can make it inoperable, but I’d prefer that the whole damn thing collapsed in on itself. Desperately looking for evidence that this is so.

  106. Art Deco–Have looked around a little, but find no reporting that the Israelis have attacked any of the Iranian Navy’s ships.

    “Nice Navy you got there, a shame if anything were to happen to it.”

    Kind of hard to Interdict, to mine the Strait, and to capture foreign ships if you no longer have a Navy.

  107. Taheri is one of the sharpest analysts on the regime i recommend his ‘nest of spies’ as a primer

    Meanwhile ‘mostly peaceful’ effendi khalil is up inciting violence thanks judge farbiaz (only question is who is he doing a solid for, the foreign office unwra qatar

    https://x.com/EYakoby/status/1936924457521541435

  111. The houthis didn’t need ships or mines to stop traffic through the Red Sea.

  112. but nevertheless deeply unwise.

    The Iranians warned ahead of time, said it was a symbolic gesture. And that is exactly what it was. Same thing happened after Soleimani was assassinated.

    The houthis didn’t need ships or mines

    They needed shipping insurance rates going up. It was cheaper to go around the horn. That won’t happen with the Strait of Hormuz, there is no alternative route and Iran needs the income.

  113. its very hard to go around the straits, because well it’s a bottleneck, the Bab al Mandel can be gotten around,

  115. No doubt that Israel has a lot of targets to choose from…but IF regime change is the desired goal, you DON’T want to destroy too much of the country’s infrastructure.
    That is, you would want the new regime to be able to inherit a functioning country to govern, develop and recover from the nightmare of the past 47 years…not a country in utter ruins.

    That presents a serious problem, since you DO want to decimate the current maniacal regime along with its murderous minions, munitions, leaders and and military…but not the country and its resources

    Seems a REAL threat might be the mullahcracy going scorched earth on the country if they see themselves on the road to irrevocable defeat.
    Remember that Schicklgruber ordered Albert Speer to do this to Germany as the Western allies were closing in on the Rhineland heading to Berlin, but to his credit, Speer refused to obey that order.

    Will have to see how this plays out, of course…since there still are some huge IFs remaining.

    ** “The Good Nazi: The Life and Lies of Albert Speer”
    https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Good_Nazi.html?id=fCNpXKbV9WwC

  116. The houthis didn’t need ships or mines to stop traffic through the Red Sea.
    ==
    They dd not stop traffic through the Red Sea. It’s running at a lower level due to insurance costs and shippers are using other routes.

  117. @ LordAzrael > “This cropped footage is from Ukraine, not Iran.”

    Sometimes I am in agreement with the Democrats on this position only: posting clearly false information (IOW there is good evidence) is a real problem.
    However, since they define “false” as “anything favoring the Republicans and Trump” I can’t get too enamored of their solutions.

    The Community Notes on X are a help; a greater one would be self-declared public pundits taking a little time to do their own research, and not posting the first thing that comes up on their Google search.

    That’s what we pajama-clad commenters are supposed to do! 😉

    @ miguel > “there’s a little humour here,”

    Speaking of publishing Fake News, you can’t beat the Iranians!

    Although the USSR, Germany’s Kaiserreich* and Hitler (among many others) followed the same play-book.

    *The real one, not the alternative-history game, which I just discovered while checking my spelling.
    Call to Turtler: is this one in your repertoire?

  118. @AesopFan:That’s what we pajama-clad commenters are supposed to do!

    Tell me about it… ever since the right-blogosphere went pro things have been slipping. You don’t actually have to repost the Current Thing in first five seconds, you could take a minute to check up on it.

  119. @ sdferr > “How the U.S. Attack on Iran Hurts Russia and China”

    This is what I voted for.

    Excellent post, thanks for the link.
    Puts together a lot of information gleaned over the years.
    I was a bit surprised, however, to learn that Russia depended on Iranian expertise and production of some armaments, especially drones, instead of the other way around.

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