Strike targets, facility status, and enrichment programme updates
Iran's nuclear programme has been a central flashpoint in international security for over two decades. By early 2026, Iran had expanded its enrichment capabilities significantly, operating thousands of advanced IR-6 and IR-9 centrifuges at both the Natanz facility in central Iran and the deeply buried Fordow complex near Qom. US and Israeli intelligence assessed that Iran had accumulated enough 60%-enriched uranium for multiple nuclear devices if further processed, prompting the decision to strike. The February 28 attacks represent the first direct military action against Iran's nuclear infrastructure.
The Natanz enrichment complex, Iran's largest uranium enrichment facility, was struck by multiple waves of bunker-busting munitions including US GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators deployed from B-2 bombers. Fordow, built 80 metres inside a mountain near Qom, presented a more challenging target — early satellite imagery shows extensive damage to surface infrastructure including access tunnels and ventilation shafts, though the deepest centrifuge halls may have survived. The Isfahan uranium conversion facility and research sites in Tehran were also targeted.
The IAEA has demanded immediate access to all struck facilities to assess whether radioactive contamination has occurred. The environmental and proliferation implications are significant: the destruction of enrichment facilities could disperse radioactive material, while any surviving stockpiles of enriched uranium represent an ongoing proliferation concern. The strikes have also raised questions about the future of international nuclear diplomacy, with the 2015 JCPOA framework now considered definitively collapsed.
The United States and Israel launched coordinated airstrikes on Iranian military installations and nuclear facilities in what the Pentagon has designated Operation Epic Fury. Targets included sites in Tehran, Isfahan, Qom, and Karaj.
Defense Secretary confirmed that US forces struck multiple Iranian nuclear facilities including sites at Isfahan and Natanz. The Pentagon stated the strikes aimed to degrade Iran's nuclear weapons program.
President Trump delivered a prime-time address declaring the success of Operation Epic Fury. He stated that Iran's nuclear weapons program has been set back decades and warned Tehran against further escalation.
Satellite imagery shows massive fires at Iran's Isfahan nuclear research center following strikes by US B-2 stealth bombers reportedly armed with GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators.
The International Atomic Energy Agency issued an urgent statement condemning the targeting of nuclear facilities and warning of potential radiation release from damaged sites at Isfahan and Natanz.
Senior administration officials reveal the strikes were planned after US intelligence confirmed Iran had enriched uranium to weapons-grade levels at a previously unknown underground facility.
Pentagon sources confirmed that B-2 Spirit bombers dropped multiple GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators on Iran's underground centrifuge enrichment facility at Natanz, buried 80 meters below ground.
The deeply buried Fordow enrichment facility near Qom survived the first wave of strikes due to its location inside a mountain. Pentagon officials said follow-up strikes are being assessed.
Multiple nuclear facilities sustained significant damage in the February 28 strikes, including the Natanz enrichment complex and Fordow underground facility. However, Fordow is buried deep inside a mountain and initial assessments suggest some centrifuge halls may remain intact. Full damage assessment is ongoing via satellite imagery and intelligence sources.
Iran's key nuclear sites include the Natanz enrichment plant (central Iran), Fordow underground facility (near Qom), Isfahan uranium conversion facility, Arak heavy water reactor, Bushehr nuclear power plant, and several research centres in Tehran. Not all facilities were targeted — Bushehr, a civilian power plant, was reportedly excluded from the strike list.
Before the strikes, US intelligence assessed that Iran had enriched uranium to 60% purity and possessed enough fissile material for several weapons if enriched further to 90%. The strikes aimed to destroy centrifuge infrastructure and set back the programme by years. Whether Iran retains enough intact capability to continue weapons-grade enrichment is a critical intelligence question.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has called for immediate access to struck nuclear facilities to assess radiological safety and environmental contamination. IAEA Director General has expressed concern about potential dispersal of radioactive material and urged all parties to allow inspectors to verify the status of nuclear materials at affected sites.