6 'Bunker Buster' bombs, 30 Tomahawk missiles: How US struck Iran's key nuclear sites; details

On Thursday, President Donald Trump had warned Iran that it had a fortnight to consider its next steps. By early Sunday morning, he had authorised a series of precision airstrikes on three of Iran’s most fortified nuclear facilities, Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, pushing the United States into direct military conflict with Tehran for the first time in over four decades.

The strikes were kept so tightly under wraps that even as B-2 stealth bombers dropped 30,000-pound bunker busters on Iranian soil, cable news broadcasts were still reporting that Trump was “weighing his options.” Hours earlier, he had quietly returned to the White House from New Jersey for what was described as a high-level national security briefing.

Then, without warning, he posted the news himself: “We have completed our very successful attack… All planes are safely on their way home.” With that, Trump not only made history but also sent shockwaves through a region already teetering on the edge.

The attack was carried out by American B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, the only aircraft capable of deploying the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator—a 30,000-pound “bunker buster” bomb. One US official, speaking anonymously, confirmed that multiple GBU-57s were dropped on Fordow, the most heavily fortified site, and said damage assessments suggested it had been “taken off the table.”


From Missouri to Fordow

On Friday night between 10:09 and 10:30 pm Central Time, eight KC-135 Stratotankers took off from Altus Air Force Base in Oklahoma, heading towards Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri—the home of the B-2 fleet, the Washington Post reported. Flight trackers picked up the tankers, using the call sign “Nitro,” refuelling bombers flying under the call sign “Mytee”—a known identifier for B-2 aircraft.

Fox News host Sean Hannity, citing a personal conversation with President Trump, revealed that six Massive Ordnance Penetrators, commonly known as “bunker buster” bombs, were dropped on Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility by multiple B-2 bombers. In addition, he said the United States launched 30 Tomahawk cruise missiles from submarines positioned roughly 400 miles offshore. “Everyone is out of harm’s way for now,” Hannity said during his broadcast.

Read: Which nuclear sites did US strike in Iran? Why it matters ?

After completing the mission, the tankers returned home, indicating the bombers were now fully fuelled and en route. Open-source analysts confirmed the pattern matched standard procedures for heavy payload missions.

As per CBS News, US officials had informed Iran via diplomatic channels that the strikes were limited in scope, with no plans for regime change. Trump had earlier rejected proposals to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to the same report.

Though Trump signalled the operation’s end with a call for peace, US forces remain on high alert. The Pentagon has moved additional naval assets into position. The USS Carl Vinson remains in the Arabian Sea, while the USS Nimitz heads toward the region. Ballistic missile-defence-equipped destroyers have also been deployed across the Mediterranean.

Also read: What are B-2 bombers used by US to strike Iran? Here’s why they’re key