In a seismic show of force, the United States on June 22 executed a devastating strike against Iran’s core nuclear infrastructure. The Fordow enrichment complex, nestled deep within a mountain, was targeted by a fleet of B-2 Spirit Stealth Bombers in what became the largest and second-longest B-2 mission in US military history. Almost simultaneously, 30 Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from submarines slammed into Iran’s key sites at Isfahan and Natanz.

President Donald Trump, never one to understate his actions, proclaimed later that day: “…The strikes have been spectacularly successful. Iran’s key nuclear facilities have been completely and totally obliterated…"

These weren’t hollow words. The mission employed eight GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators—each capable of delivering over 6,000 pounds of high explosives. Even if the bombs didn’t reach the deepest subterranean vaults of Fordow, the sheer concussive force of nearly 48 tons of explosives in a confined space left little doubt: Iran’s sensitive nuclear equipment is no longer operational. The devastation at Natanz and Isfahan—far more vulnerable sites—would be even more complete.

The US had long harboured ambitions of dismantling Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. But what had been missing for years was the political will. That changed in June 2025. With this one sweeping strike, “Project Amad", Iran’s covert nuclear program first initiated in the 2000s, now lies in ruins. The regime in Tehran, which drew its power and deterrence from nuclear ambiguity, has been jolted into a crisis.

This attack was not a stand-alone effort. It came on the heels of a........

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