Serious questions are being raised about the success of the United States operation against Iran under the codename “Operation Midnight Hammer”, which was carried out on 22 June 2025, following revelations by the Iranian foreign minister regarding the discovery of dormant bombs at nuclear facilities of the Islamic Republic.
Indeed, the related claims coincide with earlier disclosures by United States intelligence agencies, which had referred to the inability of the United States operation to completely eliminate Iran’s nuclear program.
More specifically, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran, Abbas Araghchi, on 8 February revealed that dormant bombs remain at nuclear facilities that were struck by the United States last year.
In statements broadcast by the news agency Iran’s Young Journalists Club, Araghchi stated that he asked the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, whether there is any law or protocol governing visits to nuclear facilities that have been targeted by United States attacks.
“No, there is nothing like that,” Grossi replied, as conveyed by Araghchi.
What the Iranian foreign minister signals to the International Atomic Energy Agency
The Iranian diplomat added that he informed Grossi of the need to establish a protocol prior to any visits, “due to existing security issues, such as the presence of dormant bombs and other matters that must be agreed upon”.
Rafael Grossi
He stressed that inspections should be carried out only after agreement on these issues, noting that “Iran remains in communication with the organization on this matter”.
The United States attacked the nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan on 22 June of last year, the 10th day of the 12 day war of Israel against Iran.
Operation Midnight Hammer with 14 GBU-57 bombs and 30 Tomahawk missiles
The attack, codenamed “Operation Midnight Hammer”, involved strikes by stealth strategic bombers B-2 Spirit, which dropped approximately 14 GBU-57 bombs of the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) series on the facilities, which were also attacked by about 30 BGM-109 Tomahawk missiles launched from a nuclear powered cruise missile submarine, believed to have been the USS Georgia, Ohio class.
The latest statements by Araghchi, which come after the escalation of United States aggressiveness, indicate that at least some of the MOP bombs used in the attack failed to detonate, meaning that Iran may have, or has already, recovered one of these bombs.
What Western intelligence services revealed about the American bombing
Meanwhile, days ago Western intelligence services, including United States agencies, revealed that they have found no evidence that Tehran is enriching uranium to a level that would allow the construction of weapons or that it is taking steps to create a warhead, as reported by the New York Times, citing sources familiar with intelligence data.
“Western intelligence agencies found no evidence of high level enrichment for the creation of bomb suitable material or other activities to produce an actual warhead. The enriched uranium stored at the three sites struck in June remains in place, apparently intact,” the report states.
According to United States assessments, Iran has not built new nuclear facilities, although activity has been detected at two unfinished sites in Natanz and Isfahan, the newspaper writes.
Trump’s claims about the goals of Midnight Hammer under question
Trump and Netanyahu claim that the 2025 military operation set the Iranian program back by six months to one year, with centrifuges at the Fordow facility remaining out of operation.
Meanwhile, official Pentagon assessments diverge somewhat from the public statements of the United States president.
While the United States president claimed that Iran’s nuclear potential was completely destroyed, the National Strategic Security document speaks only of a “significant weakening” of it.
On the night of 22 June 2025, Trump announced that the United States attacked three Iranian nuclear facilities, in Isfahan, Natanz, and Fordow.
The United States military used stealth strategic bombers B-2 Spirit, armed with GBU-57 bunker buster bombs, designed to destroy fortified underground targets.
Trump later stated that the nuclear facilities were completely destroyed.
High explosive power and maximum penetration of the GBU-57
The United States penetrating bomb of the MOP type is 6.2 meters long and weighs 14 tons.
Its explosive component is a bomb of the BLU-127 series, whose modular design allows improvements and upgrades.
One variant of the BLU-127 bomb body contains 2.082 kilograms AFX-757 and 341 kilograms PBXN-114, a polymer bonded explosive (PBX), for a total explosive load of 2.423 kilograms.
The PBX is optimized for controlled initiation in confined spaces.
The bomb’s casing is made of high density Eglin steel alloy, designed to withstand the extreme pressures of deep penetration prior to detonation.
Attached to the tail of the BLU-127 is the KMU-612 tail kit, which contains a GPS guided inertial navigation system, as well as control surfaces to maintain trajectory and allow course adjustments.
Can Iran replicate the GBU-57
The GBU-57 features lattice fins that can be folded for storage in the bomb bays of the B-2, offering greater control at high speeds.
Lattice fins provide greater drag than flat fins and are usually smaller.
The release timing is controlled by the Large Penetrator Smart Fuze, which adjusts the moment of detonation based on impact depth and the characteristics of the underground structure.
While many military analysts have speculated that Iran could replicate the MOP, this is extremely unlikely, as the Islamic Republic lacks the means to deliver such a heavy bomb, even against United States bases located directly next to its borders in Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, or the United Arab Emirates.
The collateral benefits for Iran from the American bombing
Iran could, however, learn a great deal at a technological level by studying the bomb.
It could also transfer the bombs to some of its allies, who could actually replicate and use them, such as Russia and China.
Both countries possess bomber aircraft.
After Iran captured a secret United States reconnaissance drone RQ-170 Sentinel in 2007, Iranian officials had indicated that Russia and China were highly interested in studying the aircraft.
Later reports, some as recent as 2022, suggest that this may indeed have occurred.
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