Jun 23, 2025
What Is Operation Midnight Hammer? Inside the U.S. Strike on Iran
The Pentagon confirmed the US military carried out a precision strike on Iran’s nuclear sites, launching an operation code-named Operation Midnight Hammer
Over 125 US aircraft—including seven stealth B‑2 bombers, fighter escorts, refuelers, and ISR assets—participated in the mission, making it the largest B‑2 deployment in history
This marked the first operational use of the 30,000‑lb GBU‑57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bombs on Iran’s underground nuclear facilities at Fordo and Natanz
Simultaneously, more than 24 Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched from a US submarine at the Isfahan facility, expanding the strike across multiple domains
As a decoy, additional B‑2s flew west over the Pacific, while the main force flew east with minimal communication to evade detection
The operation involved precise coordination of aviation, naval, and intelligence assets to neutralize Iran’s nuclear infrastructure in a single, tightly-timed strike
Between 6:40–7:05 pm ET (~2:10–2:35 am Iran Time), the B‑2s dropped 14 MOP bombs, and Tomahawks struck critical nuclear sites
Secretary Hegseth and Gen. Caine called the operation a “devastating blow” to Iran’s nuclear program, praising the flawless execution of the mission
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