The Pentagon has made public videos related to the attacks on Iranian nuclear sites, following differing reports on the consequences. Some reports indicate significant damage to Iran’s nuclear capabilities, while others suggest the impact was limited, possibly due to Iran’s prior removal of uranium from the sites.
During a Thursday news conference, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, provided a detailed description of the planning and execution of the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. The footage showed bunker buster bombs falling on Fordow nuclear site.
The video, shared by Gen. Caine, documented the strikes on the Fordow nuclear site. Hegseth contested the assessment of a Defence Intelligence Agency report that minimized the extent of the damage. He used emphatic language such as “decimating,” “obliterating,” and “destroying” to stress the severity of the attacks, although the exact impact of the bunker-buster bombs was not visible in the footage.
Gen Caine stated that a bomb has three effects: blast, fragmentation and overpressure, which caused the damage. He added that the primary mechanisms of destruction in these strikes were a mix of overpressure and blast.
Three Iranian nuclear sites have been reported to have suffered considerable damage, according to claims by Israel and the US. President Donald Trump stated that the locations were obliterated by the US Air Force attacks, though Iran has responded by acknowledging the strikes while downplaying the damage.