Israel-Iran conflict: Satellite images show Iran nuclear sites severely damaged after US bombing

New satellite images reveal severe surface damage at Iran’s Fordo nuclear facility after US strikes using bunker buster bombs. Experts say deep damage is likely, and Iran’s next move may shape the region’s future.

As the Israel-Iran conflict rages on, new satellite pictures from Maxar Technologies have emerged. The pics show that the US airstrikes on Iran’s Fordo nuclear facility caused significant surface damage. These high-resolution images, taken on June 22, show at least six fresh craters on the mountainside above Fordo, located southwest of Tehran.

Satellite images confirm strike damage at Fordo site

Scattered debris and a layer of grey dust down the slopes indicate powerful explosions. Experts say the visual damage confirms the use of Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOPs) large "bunker buster" bombs made to destroy underground facilities, says a BBC report.

What are bunker buster bombs?

According to the Pentagon, 14 MOPs were used in the operation. These bombs are 30,000 pounds each and are built to penetrate deep into the earth or concrete before exploding, not on the surface.

Stu Ray, a senior imagery analyst at McKenzie Intelligence Services, told BBC Verify, "You won’t see big explosions at the surface, because these bombs are designed to blow up underground."

Ray also noted that the craters seem to show two separate impact points. At each point, multiple munitions were likely dropped.

Concrete debris blown out from inside the tunnels indicates internal damage.

Did Iran try to protect the tunnels?

The tunnel entrances at Fordo appear sealed or blocked off, but not by US bombs directly. Analysts believe Iran may have sealed the tunnels beforehand, to avoid giving the US easy targets or to protect key equipment inside. This suggests that Tehran expected an attack and had tried to prepare for it.

What else happened in the US operation?

Earlier, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and General Dan Caine held a press conference at the Pentagon. Here’s what they confirmed:

• The US bombed Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan
• The aim was to destroy Iran’s nuclear program, not to harm troops or civilians
• 75 precision-guided weapons were used in total
• The attack included the longest B-2 bomber mission since 2001
• A US submarine launched over 24 Tomahawk cruise missiles
• No US aircraft were hit. Iran did not fire back during the strike

The Pentagon stressed this was not a mission for regime change, but to stop Iran’s nuclear threat.

What will Iran do now?

Iran’s Foreign Minister said that “America has crossed a red line.” Experts now say the region is entering a dangerous and unpredictable phase.

In a statement on the US military aggression against Iran's nuclear facilities, it said, “The world must not forget that it was the United States that, in the midst of a diplomatic process, betrayed diplomacy by supporting the genocidal and lawbreaking Israeli regime to impose a war of aggression on the Iranian nation. Now, in completion of that regime's unlawful and criminal acts, the United States itself has launched a dangerous war against the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

(With agency inputs)