The United States Department of Defense, the Pentagon, has made public videos of its attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities. This release follows conflicting reports regarding the extent of the damage inflicted. Some reports suggest significant disruption to Iran’s nuclear program, while others claim the impact was minimal, with Iran allegedly removing uranium from the targeted sites before the strikes.
During a Thursday news conference, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, provided a detailed account of the planning and execution of the US strikes. The released footage included visuals of bunker buster bombs impacting the Fordow nuclear site.
Gen. Caine presented the footage, showcasing the impact of the bunker buster bombs on the Fordow site. Secretary Hegseth disputed an earlier Defence Intelligence Agency report that suggested the strikes caused only limited damage. He strongly emphasized the severity of the attacks, using terms like “decimating,” “obliterating,” and “destroying” to underscore the level of destruction. Although the damage caused by the bunker-buster bomb was not clearly visible on the surface level. The footage showcased the different types of impacts that the bombs made.
Gen Caine stated that a bomb has three main effects: blast, fragmentation, and overpressure. He elaborated that overpressure and blast were the primary mechanisms of destruction in these strikes.
Reports from the US and Israel indicate that three Iranian nuclear sites experienced substantial damage. President Donald Trump asserted that the targeted locations were obliterated during the US Air Force attacks. Despite these claims, Iran has acknowledged the strikes but downplayed the extent of the damage.