Operation Midnight Hammer: 15 Years for One Target — The Breakdown

Step 1: Discovery
Back in 2009, a U.S. intelligence officer was shown a hidden nuclear facility buried deep within Iran’s mountains—far from any civilian infrastructure and far too secret for a peaceful purpose.

Step 2: Surveillance
He and a trusted colleague spent over a decade and a half meticulously studying the site—its geology, air shafts, layout, and construction. Every detail confirmed it: this wasn’t an energy project. It was a weapons program.

Step 3: The Challenge
At the time, no existing U.S. munition could penetrate the depth of the facility. The target was simply out of reach.

Step 4: The Solution
So, they went to work with the Pentagon. The result: the GBU-57—a 30,000-pound bunker buster engineered specifically to breach and destroy ultra-fortified underground targets like this one.

Step 5: The Strike
In June 2025, it all culminated. With the President’s order, the mission launched. The bombers flew in, the GBU-57s hit their mark, and a shadow buried deep in stone was finally erased.