Operation Midnight Hammer

During Operation Midnight Hammer on June 22, 2025, B-2 bombers reportedly launched from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, flying a transatlantic route over the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, eventually entering Iranian airspace from the west or southwest. Just before dawn on June 22, a coordinated strike began. U.S. B-2 bombers, F-35s, and cruise missiles targeted key elements of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, including Natanz, Fordow, and a suspected new facility near Isfahan. Cyber operations and internal fifth column sabotage complemented the external attack.

According to multiple Western and regional officials, the United States delivered a discreet warning to Tehran in the hours before the strikes. The message—relayed through a combination of Swiss diplomatic channels, Qatari intermediaries, and backchannel signals-was clear: the U.S. would strike specific nuclear targets only, and Iran should avoid escalation if it wanted to prevent a broader war.

One senior Gulf intelligence official described it as "a calibrated message—not asking for permission, but offering a limit." The U.S. reportedly made it clear that no leadership targets, civilian infrastructure, or military barracks would be hit—only nuclear facilities deemed to be in violation of past agreements.

Iranian leaders, faced with overwhelming American air power and a deteriorating economy, made a calculated decision not to respond militarily.

In the days that followed, Iran's official response remained restrained. There were denunciations in the media and diplomatic protests, but no serious and massive military action against the U.S. targets, just a symbolic bite, for which they communicated the exact time of the attack to the U.S. base in Qatar, and the base was evacuated. All three sides declared victory.