Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC taken on 22/6 show the mountain housing Iran's Fordow nuclear facility has changed from brown to gray, with surface lines appearing different compared to images from April. A light gray smoke plume is also visible at the site.
This suggests a large explosion scattered debris around the area, supporting US claims of using specialized bombs to target the Iranian nuclear facility.
The Associated Press (AP) reports that Iran may have sealed the entrances to the Fordow facility before the US attack.
US President Donald Trump announced on 21/6 that the US military had attacked three key Iranian nuclear facilities: Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan.
Sources say the US deployed B-2 bombers, which flew for 37 hours from a base in Missouri across the Pacific Ocean, to drop 12 GBU-57 MOP bombs, each weighing 14 tons, on Iran's "nuclear fortress" at Fordow. US submarines also launched 30 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the other two facilities.
Fordow is a high-level uranium enrichment site with approximately 2,000 centrifuges in operation. The plant produces most of Iran's 60%-enriched uranium. The complex is nicknamed a "nuclear fortress" due to its location deep inside a mountain. Israel previously targeted Fordow in an airstrike against Iran but failed to significantly damage it. Tel Aviv stated that only the US possesses the type of bomb capable of destroying this facility.
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Satellite image of the Fordow facility after the US attack. Image: X/Ali |
This marks the first time the US has conducted an airstrike on nuclear facilities in Iran, signifying Washington's direct involvement in the ongoing conflict between Tehran and Tel Aviv.
Trump declared the airstrike "completely wiped out" Iran's nuclear facilities and would force Tehran to negotiate and end the current conflict.
Meanwhile, Iranian officials deny that the Fordow facility was destroyed, though they have not provided a detailed damage assessment. Tehran strongly condemned the US airstrike as a violation of international law with long-term consequences and vowed to retaliate.
Thuy Lam (According to AP, Times of Israel)
