 "The combination picture on the left shows satellite views of tunnel entrances to the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Research Center before (below) and after (above) being hit by US airstrikes. The satellite image on the right shows the damaged tunnel entrances in a wider view. (Maxar Technologies/Handout via Reuters)")
The Pentagon has released new details of how the US carried out its attacks in Iran, targeting three key nuclear sites in the country. The report also has information about the personnel involved in the weekend attacks and reveals how Tehran fortified the site that holds critical aspects of its nuclear programme.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the US undertook “the most secret and most complex military operation in history,” but he fell short of providing specific details about the operation. Specifics were, however, shared by Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, which shows the level of sophistication in carrying out the mission.
US joined the Israel-Iran conflict over the weekend and bombed three key nuclear sites, Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan. There has been some dispute over the extent of the damage caused by American strikes, with US President Donald Trump saying that they “obliterated” the nuclear facilities and media reports claiming that the sites were only set back by a few years.
What has been revealed in the report?
Caine shared previously undisclosed information about the bombing crew involved in the mission, along with the extensive preparations carried out across the military.
So many experts worked on designing the bombs that hit their target that they became the “biggest users of supercomputer hours within the United States of America” at one point, he said.
The crew that carried out the 37-hour-long mission included both men and women, ranging from captain to colonel. Most of the crew members were graduates of the Air Force Weapons School, an elite academy in Nevada.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts“When the crews went to work on Friday, they kissed their loved ones goodbye, not knowing when or if they’d be home. Late on Saturday night, their families became aware of what was happening,” Caine said.
Following the attacks that have been dubbed successful by the US, the B-2 Stealth bombers, the ones that were used to “destroy” the nuclear sites, returned to Missouri and were welcomed by the crews’ families, “waving flags and tears were flowing,” he added.
Fortified Fordow
In the days leading up to the mission, Iran tried to reinforce the Fordow nuclear facility, buried deep within a mountain, by sealing the ventilation shafts with concrete, aiming to block the entry points for American bombs.
“I won’t share the specific dimensions of the concrete cap. But you should know that we know what the dimensions of those concrete caps were. The planners had to account for this. They accounted for everything,” the general said.
Meanwhile, Caine also highlighted that despite the last-minute adjustments, the mission was carried out on time as planned, adding that the 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs functioned “as designed” in the first try.
At least 44 soldiers and two Patriot missile batteries were deployed to defend a nearby base from potential Iranian retaliation.