“Midnight Over Isfahan”: Inside the U.S. Airstrikes That Rocked Iran’s Nuclear Ambitions

In the predawn darkness of June 22nd, while much of the world slept, the desert skies above Iran lit up with fire. Stealth bombers streaked silently over the Zagros Mountains. Deep underground, reinforced bunkers housing Iran’s most secretive nuclear projects erupted into twisted steel and silence. Operation Midnight Hammer had begun.

What unfolded in those early hours wasn’t just a military mission — it was a geopolitical earthquake.

Launched from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, seven B‑2 Spirit bombers — America’s most elite stealth aircraft — slipped across the globe under a radar cloak, supported by KC‑135 refuelers and electronic warfare escorts. They dropped 14 of the most powerful non-nuclear weapons in the U.S. arsenal: the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP). Each one designed to crack bunkers buried beneath hundreds of feet of rock.

Targets? Three names that have haunted the Pentagon’s war planning for nearly two decades: Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan — Iran’s crown jewels of nuclear enrichment.

The strikes, coordinated with Israeli missile salvos, were precise, overwhelming, and — according to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — “an undeniable success.”

“The enrichment capability Iran spent 20 years building,” Hegseth said at a press conference just hours later, “has been set back by years, if not eliminated.”

Tensions have been boiling for months. Iran’s accelerated uranium enrichment, its refusal to cooperate with international inspectors, and credible intelligence suggesting weaponization activity had pushed patience to the brink. But the match that lit the fire was last week’s ballistic missile barrage on Tel Aviv, killing 18 civilians and wounding over 100.

According to a senior White House aide, President Trump — now in his second term — viewed the attack as “not just an act of war against Israel, but a challenge to U.S. deterrence in the Middle East.”

With negotiations failing and Iran doubling down, Washington made a fateful choice.

The morning after the attack, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei stood beneath a massive portrait of Qasem Soleimani and declared, “The enemy has struck a blow, but we will never kneel.”

Iran’s parliament convened in emergency session. Images circulated of lawmakers chanting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” as sirens echoed across Tehran.

Already, Iran has retaliated. Thirty missiles were fired at Israeli bases in the Negev desert. Some made it past the Iron Dome. Damage was moderate, but the message was clear: the conflict is far from over.

American forces in Iraq, Qatar, and Bahrain are on full alert. The U.S. Navy is reinforcing the Fifth Fleet near the Strait of Hormuz, preparing for possible Iranian attempts to disrupt global oil shipments — a nightmare scenario for world markets.

The strikes drew swift reactions.

• China condemned the action as “reckless provocation.”

• The EU expressed “deep concern” and urged “maximum restraint.”

• Russia, unsurprisingly, backed Iran’s right to “defend its sovereignty.”

In America, the divide is sharp. Supporters hail the operation as a decisive show of strength. Critics, including several key senators, question the lack of congressional approval and warn of spiraling escalation.

“There’s no clear endgame here,” said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT). “What’s the objective beyond blowing things up?”

The Pentagon says it is ready for any response. But readiness is not immunity.

Tehran has vast proxy networks — Hezbollah in Lebanon, Shi’a militias in Iraq, Houthi rebels in Yemen — all of whom could be activated in a regional revenge campaign. U.S. embassies and bases worldwide are increasing security.

Meanwhile, global oil prices surged 12% overnight. The Strait of Hormuz — through which one-third of the world’s oil passes — is being monitored by satellites, drones, and warships.

On Iranian social media — heavily censored, but not silent — photos emerged of shattered glass, bloodied children, and civilians huddling in metro stations. Official casualties are unconfirmed, but Western analysts estimate dozens may be dead, possibly more.

In the U.S., anti-war protests have already begun in New York and Los Angeles, with activists holding signs reading “No More Endless War” and “Diplomacy, Not Bombs.”

But at least for now, diplomacy feels very far away.