How 30 Tomahawk Missiles and Bunker-Buster Bombs Obliterated Iran’s Nuclear Sites in Historic U.S. Strike

In a dramatic escalation of the Middle East conflict, the United States launched a meticulously planned and highly coordinated airstrike on June 21, 2025, targeting three of Iran’s most sensitive nuclear facilities: Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. This operation marked the first direct U.S. military strike inside Iran in decades and involved the combined use of six B-2 stealth bombers dropping Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bunker-buster bombs and 30 Tomahawk cruise missiles fired from submarines positioned 400 miles off the Iranian coast.

What Happened?

President Donald Trump announced the strikes as a “spectacular military success” and claimed that Iran’s key nuclear enrichment sites had been “completely and totally obliterated.” The Fordow site, deeply embedded inside a mountain and heavily fortified, was the primary target of the B-2 bombers, which dropped six 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs designed to penetrate and destroy underground facilities. Meanwhile, 30 Tomahawk missiles — long-range, subsonic cruise missiles known for their precision — were launched from U.S. Navy submarines to strike the Natanz and Isfahan sites.

Trump emphasized the unprecedented nature of the operation, stating on Truth Social, “A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. Fordow is gone.” He also reassured that all U.S. aircraft had safely exited Iranian airspace following the mission, underscoring the operation’s success and the skill of American forces.

Understanding the Tomahawk Missile

The Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) is a cornerstone of U.S. precision strike capability. Measuring 18.3 feet in length and weighing approximately 3,200 pounds (4,400 pounds with booster), each missile carries a 1,000-pound conventional warhead. Guided by GPS, inertial navigation, and terrain contour matching, Tomahawks can strike targets with an accuracy within 10 meters from distances up to 1,500 miles. Their stealthy, low-flying approach makes them difficult to detect and intercept, allowing them to penetrate sophisticated air defenses.

First used in combat during the 1991 Gulf War, Tomahawks have become a preferred weapon for surgical strikes against high-value, heavily defended targets. Their use in this operation allowed the U.S. to hit multiple sites simultaneously without risking manned aircraft in heavily contested airspace.

Why These Targets?

• Fordow: Located near Qom, Fordow is Iran’s most secure uranium enrichment facility, built deep inside a mountain to withstand attacks. Destroying it was crucial to delaying Iran’s ability to produce weapons-grade uranium.

• Natanz: Iran’s primary uranium enrichment plant, Natanz has been the focus of previous Israeli strikes and sabotage efforts. It remains central to Iran’s nuclear program.

• Isfahan: This site houses uranium conversion and research facilities, including production of near-bomb-grade uranium, making it a key node in Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

Strategic and Political Implications

The strikes represent a historic shift in U.S. policy, moving from indirect support of Israel’s campaign to direct military action against Iran. President Trump’s decision came after weeks of deliberation and amid escalating Israeli airstrikes on Iranian targets. The operation sends a clear message of U.S. resolve to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

While Iran confirmed that some sites, including Fordow, were attacked, it denied any serious damage or radiation risks. Iranian officials have vowed retaliation, raising fears of a wider regional conflict. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has warned about the dangers of attacks on nuclear facilities, particularly the risk of radioactive contamination, though experts have stated that the recent strikes are unlikely to cause a Chernobyl-like disaster.

What Comes Next?

The strikes are likely to provoke Iranian retaliation, potentially through missile attacks on Israeli cities and U.S. military bases in the region, proxy militia actions, cyberattacks, and disruptions to global energy supplies. The U.S. and its allies remain on high alert, anticipating a complex and prolonged conflict.

President Trump has framed the operation as a last warning, stating that if peace does not come quickly, the U.S. will strike additional targets with “precision, speed and skill.” The world watches anxiously as the Middle East stands on the edge of a potentially wider war.