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Thermal satellites have detected heat increases at Iranian nuclear facilities following U.S. airstrikes conducted early Saturday morning, confirming the strikes U.S. President Donald Trump described as having "completely and totally obliterated" Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities.
NASA's thermal satellite data compiled through the LANCE/FIRMS information system detected heat increases at Iran's Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear facilities following the U.S. airstrikes.
The thermal satellites recorded heat spikes at the Fordow nuclear facility located 30 kilometers north of Qom city, as well as at the Natanz facility 220 kilometers (136.7 miles) southeast of Tehran and the Isfahan nuclear facility 350 kilometers southeast of Tehran during the hours when the attacks occurred.
Ground and atmospheric observation satellites' thermal measurement instruments can detect heat increases caused by fires, industrial activity, and other factors. While the heat increases detected in these Iranian regions are attributed to the bomb impacts, it remains unknown whether any heating resulted from nuclear fallout.
Trump said American aircraft and submarines struck Iran's nuclear facilities at Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow in what he described as a "spectacular military success." The operation marked the first direct U.S. military involvement in the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel.
"Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated," Trump said during a televised address from the White House.
"Our objective was the destruction of Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity and a stop to the nuclear threat posed by the world's number one state sponsor of terror," Trump noted.
The US president also confirmed he coordinated the strikes with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying they "worked as a team" in the operation. Trump warned Iran that it "must make peace" or face "far greater" consequences in future attacks.
"Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace," Trump stated. "If peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed, and skill."
According to Trump, the operation involved B-2 stealth bombers and included six bunker-buster bombs dropped on the heavily fortified Fordow facility, along with 30 Tomahawk missiles fired at other nuclear sites. A U.S. official speaking to the Reuters confirmed that B-2 bombers participated in the strikes.
Iranian state media reported at least 430 people killed and 3,500 injured in Iran since Israel began its attacks on June 13. In Israel, authorities reported 24 civilians killed and 1,272 people injured during the same period.
The attacks followed weeks of escalating tensions after Israel launched its own strikes against Iran on June 13, citing concerns about Iran's nuclear weapons development. Iran maintains that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.
Trump had initially given Iran a two-week deadline to reach a nuclear agreement with the United States, but accelerated military action as diplomatic efforts stalled.
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