Pentagon Touts Fordow Strike as Success, But Doubts Remain
Pentagon Fordow strike briefing on June 26 saw Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Charles Q. Brown detail the U.S. operation. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, offered detailed insight into the U.S. strike on Iran’s Fordow nuclear site. They portrayed the attack as a major success, using custom-designed bunker-buster bombs—15 years in the making—to breach the facility buried deep in the mountains near Qom.
Still, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) assessed that the U.S. strike delayed Iran’s nuclear program by a year or less, raising questions about the operation’s lasting impact.
Fordow: Precision Bunker Buster Assault
Caine said the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) spent over a decade carefully engineering the Fordow strike. The facility’s ventilation shafts were the main target. The plan: break open the shafts with one bomb, then fire four more bombs into each at speeds over 1,000 feet per second, with a sixth “flex weapon” ready as a backup.
Caine confirmed that all bombs hit their marks, but warned that the unique nature of bunker strikes meant no visible surface crater would be present.
No Clarity on Natanz, Isfahan, or Uranium
While Fordow was hit with a full-force operation, details about Natanz and Isfahan remain scarce. Two penetrator bombs struck Natanz, and a Navy submarine launched missiles at Isfahan, but Pentagon officials have not assessed how effective those strikes were.
Analysts are increasingly concerned about the fate of nearly 880 pounds of enriched uranium, which they believe was stored at Isfahan. Satellite images by Maxar Technologies show cargo trucks outside Fordow in the days before the strike—fueling speculation Iran may have moved key equipment or materials.
Iranian officials claim they relocated sensitive assets ahead of the attack, but Hegseth declined to confirm or deny that claim, citing incomplete intelligence.
Differing Signals: Pentagon vs Trump
Critics challenged the Pentagon’s initial findings, while President Donald Trump praised the strikes as “obliterating.” Hegseth attempted to highlight intelligence gaps in order to downplay the DIA’s “low confidence” assessment.
However, the uncertainty surrounding enriched uranium and the precise scope of the attacks raise serious questions about the operation’s long-term repercussions.
Next Moves? Strategic Questions and Political Consequences
There are still questions over the mission’s strategic value. The Pentagon claims success in the Fordow strike, but without destroying or locating Iran’s uranium reserves, its nuclear program could rebound sooner than expected.
There should be greater transparency in follow-up briefings, but for now, the Pentagon’s partial picture raises doubts.
Follow-up briefings should be more transparent, but for the time being, the Pentagon’s incomplete picture raises questions and concerns.
Source: USA Today
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