Despite bold claims by U.S. President Donald Trump that the recent military operation had “completely and totally obliterated” three Iranian nuclear enrichment facilities, newly released satellite imagery appears to contradict that assertion.
High-resolution images from Maxar Technologies and Reuters show visible damage at some locations — such as craters and collapsed tunnel entrances — but parts of the targeted sites remain intact, raising questions about the overall impact of the strikes, especially on deeply buried underground installations.
At the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, located south of Tehran and embedded into a mountainside, satellite photos display craters on the surface and destruction near tunnel entries. However, the scale of internal or underground damage remains uncertain. Notably, structures likely used for ventilation of subterranean uranium enrichment work appear to be undamaged.
A satellite
Similarly, at the Natanz nuclear site, a major center of Iran’s enrichment program, imagery reveals a 5.5-meter wide crater, but it’s unclear whether the underground sections — reportedly buried 40 meters deep and protected by 8-meter-thick concrete and steel — were affected.
The Esfahan facility, also targeted in the U.S. operation, shows surface-level disturbances, but full assessments are still pending.
While the U.S. military emphasized precision targeting, and the use of bunker-buster bombs like the GBU-57, analysts say the true impact on Iran’s nuclear capabilities may take weeks or months to verify.
President Trump had hailed Operation MidnightHammer as a “spectacular military success,” but these satellite images have sparked debate over the accuracy and effectiveness of the strikes, particularly as Tehran has downplayed the damage.
Further intelligence reports and on-ground assessments will be crucial in determining whether the strikes achieved their intended strategic goals or merely inflicted limited surface-level disruption.
