Media: Iran’s Fordow Site Damaged but not Destroyed

The Iranian nuclear facility in Fordow suffered significant damage from a U.S. airstrike, though it was not completely destroyed.

The New York Times reported on this information, citing anonymous Israeli and American officials.

According to available reports, Iran likely moved some equipment, including uranium stockpiles, from the site before the strike took place.
A senior U.S. administration official confirmed that the Fordow facility had withstood the strike, but the damage was considered significant.

Assessment of the extent of the destruction is ongoing — both by the U.S. and Israeli sides.

No final conclusions have been reached regarding the damage; however, satellite images show that the munitions penetrated the surrounding rock.

According to available information, the Fordow nuclear site is located approximately 80–90 meters underground within mountainous rock, which significantly complicates its targeting with conventional munitions.

This strike marked the first combat use of American GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) — a super-heavy bunker-buster bomb weighing approximately 13,600 kilograms.

The operation involved deployment of B-2 strategic bombers.

Some of the aircraft headed toward the Diego Garcia base in the east with their transponders turned on, allowing their route to be tracked through aviation monitoring services and creating the illusion of the main strike group.

Meanwhile, the real B-2 strike force operated under radio silence, using minimal communication, and headed in the opposite direction.

The operation involved several aerial refuelings and was accompanied by support aircraft.