U.S. Launches Air Strikes on Iranian Nuclear Facilities

What Happened?

The United States launched air and cruise missile strikes on at least three Iranian nuclear facilities this weekend. Among the sites targeted by American military forces were Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan. According to the Pentagon, the U.S. military strike, code named Operation Midnight Hammer, involved over one hundred and twenty-five aircraft, including several B-2 bombers.

President Trump gave an address in which he claimed that the Iranian nuclear facilities had been ‘completely obliterated.’ Iran’s Foreign Minister responded to the U.S. strikes by saying there will be ‘everlasting consequences’ and that Iran can use any option to retaliate.

Why it Matters

The U.S. strike on Iranian nuclear facilities is the most significant military action by American forces in the Middle East since the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. The attack is a substantial escalation of the war between Israel and Iran, and it leaves some 40,000 American military personnel within reach of Iranian missiles in the region.

Was Iran close to building nuclear weapons? The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists have issued several reports on Iran’s nuclear facilities, and those reports assessed that the type and quantity of uranium being processed could only be used for making nuclear weapons. Iran has denied it planned to build nuclear weapons, but its actions suggest it has been. Israel had no aircraft capable of carrying bombs large enough to destroy underground Iranian nuclear facilities, which is the tactical reason why the U.S. Air Force used B-2 bombers to carry out the strikes.

The extent of the damage to Fordow and the other sites hit by the attack remains unknown, though satellite images do indicate the facilities suffered damage. Because Fordow was an underground facility built into a mountain, even the massive ordinance penetrators used by the U.S. Air Force may not have completely destroyed the hardened facilities. If, however, all the entrances to the site were destroyed, that would make the facility non-operational. It will take time for bomb damage assessments to determine the true extent of the destruction.

Iran is not the only threat to American forces in the Middle East. Though Iranian missiles can hit U.S. bases, so can ground based attacks from a number of terrorist groups throughout the region, nearly all of whom have all expressed outrage at the U.S. attack on Iran on social media. Outrage has been particularly keen in Qatar, which was acting as a mediator for peace talks between Israel and Iran and the U.S. and Iran. Ul Udeid air base, one of the largest American facilities in the region, is also located in Qatar and could be hit by terrorist attacks. 

How it Affects You

The U.S. attack on Iran means technically a state of war exists between the two countries. Where and how Iran will retaliate remains unknown, but the likelihood of a retaliation is high. Not only U.S. forces in the Middle East but Americans in the U.S. and Europe could now face new waves of terrorist attacks.