Stealth & Surprise: How a US Decoy Mission Paved the Way for Iran Nuclear Site Strikes
Operation “Midnight Hammer,” the U.S. military’s major strike on three key Iranian nuclear facilities on June 22, 2025, began not with a direct assault, but with a sophisticated act of misdirection designed to ensure complete surprise. As tensions in the Middle East soared following a week of escalating conflict, the United States executed a complex air and missile attack that Pentagon officials hailed as a resounding tactical success.
The audacious plan hinged on the legendary stealth capabilities of the B-2 Spirit bomber and a cunning decoy maneuver.
The Fake-Out Mission
On Saturday, a group of B-2 bombers departed from their base in Missouri. Initially, these aircraft were tracked heading west towards the Pacific island of Guam. Military experts and flight trackers noted the movement, speculating it could be pre-positioning in anticipation of strikes against Iran. According to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, this was precisely the intention – to create a diversion and draw attention away from the true objective. News reports, picking up on the westward flight data, successfully framed the deployment as a means of diplomatic pressure, effectively misleading potential observers, including Iranian defense forces.
Meanwhile, the actual strike package – a group of seven bat-winged B-2 stealth bombers – flew east. Keeping communications to an absolute minimum and refueling multiple times mid-air, these bombers flew undetected for 18 hours across the Atlantic and over European and Middle Eastern airspace towards Iran.
Executing the Strike
As the stealth bombers neared Iranian territory, a coordinated assault commenced. A U.S. submarine launched over two dozen Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles, targeting critical infrastructure linked to the nuclear sites. U.S. fighter jets also flew ahead of the bomber formation, acting as further decoys and sweeping the airspace for any sign of Iranian fighter jets or missile systems.
The primary targets were Iran’s three main nuclear sites: Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz. The B-2s delivered 14 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bombs, each weighing 30,000 pounds and designed to penetrate hardened underground targets like the Fordow facility. The overall operation was extensive, involving more than 125 U.S. military aircraft, including air-refueling tankers and various generations of fighter jets.
This operation marked the largest combat strike ever conducted by B-2 stealth bombers and the second-longest B-2 mission flown, surpassed only by those following the September 11, 2001, attacks.
U.S. Claims of Tactical Success
From the perspective of the U.S. military, “Midnight Hammer” achieved its tactical goals with near-perfect execution. General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reported that Iranian defenses were caught completely off guard.
“Iran’s fighters did not fly, and it appears that Iran’s surface to air missile systems did not see us throughout the mission,” Caine stated, emphasizing that the element of surprise was fully retained.
Defense Secretary Hegseth echoed this assessment, confidently asserting, “It was clear we devastated the Iranian nuclear program.” Initial battle damage assessments suggested all three targeted sites sustained extremely severe destruction, though officials declined to definitively say if all Iranian nuclear capabilities were eliminated.
President Donald Trump later declared the strikes a “spectacular military success,” claiming the facilities were “completely and totally obliterated” and were aimed at destroying Iran’s enrichment capacity.
Iran’s Response and Damage Assessments
Iranian sources confirmed the attacks took place but largely downplayed the extent of the damage, particularly at Fordow, stating only a part of the perimeter was affected. While confirming assaults at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization vowed to continue its nuclear development program.
Iranian officials vehemently condemned the U.S. action, calling it a “brutal assault” and a betrayal of diplomacy. Iran’s foreign minister held Washington “responsible” for the consequences, and a commentator on state TV reportedly declared every American civilian or military member in the region a “legitimate target.”
Political Context and Differing Narratives
The U.S. administration stated it was not seeking a wider war, with Secretary Hegseth indicating private messages encouraging negotiation had been sent to Tehran. However, President Trump also issued a warning that further strikes could be significantly larger if Iran did not make peace.
The strikes occurred amid heightened regional tensions, following an Israeli barrage of attacks against Iranian infrastructure earlier in the week. Israeli officials confirmed “full coordination” with the U.S. regarding the strikes, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu justifying the action as necessary because Iran’s nuclear program threatened Israel’s existence and global peace.
However, alternative perspectives argue that the current crisis is, in part, manufactured. Critics suggest the escalation was triggered partly by an IAEA censure resolution and subsequent Israeli actions aimed at preventing diplomacy. Some analysts contend that U.S. intelligence assessments have consistently indicated Iran stopped actively pursuing a nuclear weapon program in 2003 and has not resumed, suggesting the perceived threat of an imminent weapon is exaggerated. Iran’s increased nuclear activity since the U.S. unilaterally withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is seen by some as leverage to gain sanctions relief and return to negotiations, rather than a clear signal of weapon intent. The insistence by the U.S. and Israel on a condition of zero enrichment is viewed by these critics as an unnecessary obstacle to a deal involving robust inspections that would make clandestine weapons development far harder.
Global Reaction and Regional Risks
The escalating conflict, particularly the U.S. strikes on nuclear sites, drew significant international alarm. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed grave concern about the use of force, warning of the rapidly growing risk of the conflict spiraling out of control with severe consequences.
Pope Leo issued a passionate appeal for diplomacy, urging the international community to prioritize peace efforts over military conflict to prevent an “irreparable abyss.” He highlighted the profound human cost of war and called for attention not to be diverted from the suffering of civilians, particularly in areas like Gaza.
In the immediate aftermath of the strikes, Gulf states hosting U.S. military bases were placed on high alert as they assessed the risks of regional conflict. The U.S. military dispersed assets in the Middle East and heightened force protection measures for troops, while also positioning forces to respond if Iran follows through on threats of retaliation.
The future trajectory of the conflict remains uncertain, underscoring the volatile and complex geopolitical landscape in the Middle East. The strikes were months in preparation, highlighting the high level of operational security and precision required for the complex decoy and assault mission.
Adding another layer to the information landscape surrounding the conflict, there has been a significant surge in online disinformation, including AI-generated images and videos falsely depicting military successes like downed aircraft or strikes on cities, as well as fake images of B-2 bombers over Tehran, complicating the verification of events for the public.
