US Bombs Iran, Strikes Natanz, Fordo and Ispahan

In a dramatic escalation of tensions in the Middle East, the United States conducted its first direct bombing of Iranian territory since the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979.

“The conflicting, ambiguous signals, the usual attacks on allies with whom Donald Trump left the G7 early in Canada, have the effect—perhaps opposite to the tycoon's intentions—of showing how the American president, on the fifth day of the war between Israel and Iran, faces a crucial and difficult choice: whether to keep giving diplomacy one last chance or to rely on the devastating force of the 'mother of all bombs”

Il Messaggero

The US struck the three main Iranian nuclear installations of Natanz, Fordo, and Ispahan with 14 bunker-buster bombs, the heaviest conventional weaponry in the American arsenal.

Il Messaggero

This unprecedented military action, codenamed 'Operation Midnight Hammer,' marked a significant deterioration in international order.

It represented a new threshold in the escalating conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran.

The strike came amid concerns about a potentially prolonged war of attrition between Israel and Iran.

Trump intervened to support Benjamin Netanyahu in what was described as an attempt to prevent the conflict from becoming strategically disastrous for the Israeli Prime Minister.

The attack fundamentally altered the geopolitical landscape of the region.

It demonstrated a complete disregard for established international norms and frameworks that had previously provided minimal cover for imperialist interventions.

President Donald Trump immediately claimed victory for the operation, boasting that it had been a 'blazing success' of 'historic proportions' and had 'forever destroyed' Iran's nuclear program.

The president, accompanied by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and the CIA Director, launched an incessant attack on media outlets that questioned the effectiveness of the strikes.

Revolution Permanente

Trump took to Truth Social to announce that the '12-Day War,' as he had dubbed the conflict, was now over.

However, a leaked Pentagon intelligence report, which the White House quickly attributed to factions within the 'deep state,' revealed a starkly different reality.

According to classified information shared with senators on the defense committee, the damage from the bombing was actually limited.

The operation had only delayed Iran's nuclear program development by several months, rather than destroying it completely.

This discrepancy between Trump's public claims and the intelligence assessments created significant ambiguity about the true impact of the military action.

Following the implementation of the ceasefire, all three parties involved – the United States, Israel, and Iran – paradoxically declared victory.

“The conflicting, ambiguous signals, the usual attacks on allies with whom Donald Trump left the G7 early in Canada, have the effect—perhaps opposite to the tycoon's intentions—of showing how the American president, on the fifth day of the war between Israel and Iran, faces a crucial and difficult choice: whether to keep giving diplomacy one last chance or to rely on the devastating force of the 'mother of all bombs”

Il Messaggero

This created a strange situation where the apparent winners and losers remained unclear.

Trump and Netanyahu maintained their assertion that they had annihilated Iran's nuclear program.

The Iranian regime organized mass mobilizations to celebrate resistance against the 'Great Satan' (the United States).

Iran claimed successful strikes against the 'Little Satan' (Israel).

Iran proudly announced that its nuclear program remained intact while simultaneously strengthening its repressive apparatus.

Israel, despite claiming success, resumed bombardments in Lebanon and continued what was described as the massacre of Palestinians in Gaza.

Rumors circulated that Trump was pushing for a new ceasefire with Hamas, currently negotiating in Cairo.

This was part of an attempt to relaunch the Abraham Accords.

The contradictory victory claims reflected the complex and ambiguous nature of the conflict's outcome.

The effectiveness of the combined Israeli and US operations, codenamed 'Lion Ascendant' (Israel) and 'Midnight Hammer' (US), appears to have been significantly limited.

This was due to several strategic factors according to analysts including John Mearsheimer.

Revolution Permanente

They have argued that the operations likely only delayed Iran's nuclear program rather than destroying it.

The most significant factor was that the attack had been publicly announced beforehand.

This gave the Iranian regime ample time to protect and relocate sensitive nuclear materials.

Under IAEA inspection, Iran's nuclear facilities were already widely known and extensively monitored.

This potentially allowed the Iranian government to move equipment and enriched uranium stocks to undisclosed locations.

This strategic preparation likely minimized the actual damage from the strikes.

It preserved Iran's nuclear capabilities despite the dramatic military intervention.

The gap between Trump's grandiose claims of total victory and the more realistic assessment of limited effectiveness reflected the administration's tendency to use exaggerated rhetoric to mask strategic weaknesses and contradictions.