Has Fordo been destroyed, or just damaged?
Defense officials offer cautious optimism after major attack; Israeli officials believe Natanz was completely destroyed but waiting for confirmation regarding Fordow and Isfahan.
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President Donald Trump announced the operation in which the United States military struck three of Iran’s most sensitive nuclear sites early Sunday morning, Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan, had “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear enrichment infrastructure; however Pentagon leaders cautioned that it was too soon to confirm whether Iran still retains any nuclear capabilities.
General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said preliminary assessments showed “severe damage and destruction” at all three sites, but added that it would take time to determine the full impact. Israeli officials, meanwhile, believe the Natanz facility, suspected to house the largest cache of enriched uranium, was entirely destroyed, and are awaiting confirmation regarding Fordow and Isfahan. According to intelligence assessments, most enriched uranium was stored at Natanz and Isfahan at the time of the attack and was likely not moved in advance.
President Trump, addressing the nation from the White House, said the goal was to eliminate Iran’s ability to enrich uranium. “Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace,” he warned. “If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier.”
The Iranian government condemned the strikes and vowed to defend itself. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the U.S. of sabotaging diplomatic efforts and rejected European calls to return to negotiations. “How can Iran return to something it never left, let alone blew up?” he wrote on social media. Speaking at a press conference in Istanbul, Araghchi warned that Iran “reserves all options to defend its security interests and people,” without specifying whether Iran would retaliate against U.S. military targets or take action in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global oil shipments.
The U.S. attack has plunged the region into high alert, with over 40,000 American troops now stationed on regional bases and naval vessels preparing for possible Iranian retaliation. Although Iran has depleted much of its medium-range missile stockpile in recent months, officials warn the regime still has a substantial arsenal of drones, rockets, and short-range systems capable of striking U.S. and allied assets.
With diplomacy all but collapsed, military officials across the Middle East are now bracing for what could be a dangerous new phase of escalation.