Iran: Operation Midnight Hammer & the 2026 War
From targeted nuclear strikes in June 2025 to a full-scale war by February 2026 — no congressional approval, disputed intelligence, and mounting civilian casualties.
⚠ Content Note
This page documents an ongoing military conflict with verified civilian casualties, including the deaths of children. All figures are drawn from U.S. Congressional Research Service reports, Brookings Institution analysis, Al Jazeera, and other verifiable journalism. Being factual about casualties is not a political position — it is a requirement of honest reporting.
Tensions between Iran and the United States had been building since the 2023 Gaza war, during which Iran-backed militias — Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis — engaged in conflicts with Israel across the region. Iran and Israel exchanged direct missile strikes in 2024. U.S.-Iran diplomatic negotiations on Iran's nuclear program had been ongoing from April 2025.
On June 12, 2025, the International Atomic Energy Agency declared Iran was violating its nonproliferation commitments and was approximately two weeks from achieving weapons-grade uranium enrichment. This declaration was the triggering event for the Israeli military response.
On June 13, 2025, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a broad military campaign against Iran — the "Twelve-Day War" — targeting nuclear facilities and top Iranian military and intelligence figures. Israeli strikes degraded Iran's air defenses significantly in the days that followed.
Intelligence Dispute
In March 2025, the U.S. intelligence community formally assessed that Iran "is not building a nuclear weapon" and that Supreme Leader Khamenei "has not reauthorized the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003." Trump publicly rejected this assessment. His Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, and advisor Steve Bannon both warned against war with Iran and said the intelligence community did not believe Iran was building a nuclear weapon. After Trump called Gabbard "wrong," she reversed her position and said Iran could have a weapon "within months." (PBS NewsHour; Congressional Research Service)
On June 21, 2025 — one day before the operation — the United States deployed six B-2 stealth bombers westward over the Pacific toward Guam on a deliberate decoy mission. This was reportedly due to concern that Trump's social media posts from June 16 and 17 may have compromised operational security by suggesting an imminent strike.
On June 22, 2025, at 6:40 pm EDT (2:10 am Iran time), Operation Midnight Hammer began. Seven B-2 Spirit bombers of the 509th Bomb Wing had departed Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, flying east for 18 continuous hours with three mid-air refuelings and minimal communication. Only "an extremely small number of planners and key leaders" knew the operational details, according to General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Six B-2s dropped 12 GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) "bunker-buster" bombs on the Fordow Uranium Enrichment Plant — an underground facility estimated to be 80–90 meters below ground. A seventh B-2 dropped two MOPs on the Natanz facility. Simultaneously, a U.S. submarine launched over two dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Isfahan nuclear site.
No Iranian defensive fire was detected during the operation, attributed to the prior Israeli degradation of Iranian air defenses. Total duration of the strike phase: approximately 25 minutes. Over 4,000 American personnel were involved in supporting roles.
On June 23, Iran retaliated by launching missiles at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, where thousands of U.S. troops are stationed. A fragile U.S.-brokered truce took effect at the 12-day mark, mirroring the structure of the Israeli-Iranian ceasefire from the same period.
After the June 2025 truce, Iran resumed elements of its nuclear and missile programs, according to Trump. At his February 24, 2026 State of the Union address, Trump claimed Iran had restarted its nuclear program and was developing missiles capable of striking the U.S. — claims contradicted by both the prior U.S. intelligence assessment and international weapons experts, who said Iran would need until 2035 to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles even if it chose to pursue them.
Trump announced the failure of nuclear negotiations. On February 28, 2026, he shared an eight-minute video on Truth Social warning Iran, calling on Iranians to overthrow their government, and announcing military action. He did not seek congressional authorization under the War Powers Act, as he had not for the June 2025 strikes or the January 2026 Venezuela operation.
The second phase of strikes was qualitatively different. Rather than the "narrowly tailored" nuclear facility targeting of Operation Midnight Hammer, the 2026 operation included decapitation strikes against Iranian leadership. In the first days, the United States and Israel killed Supreme Leader Khamenei and several top IRGC commanders. Mojtaba Khamenei, the Supreme Leader's son, was subsequently selected as his replacement, with the IRGC pledging loyalty.
The Minab School Strike
In the southern Iranian city of Minab, a U.S. or Israeli strike obliterated the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls' elementary school, killing 165 people — the majority of them young students. Among the total Iranian dead are more than 200 children and 11 healthcare workers.
The U.S. stated it was "investigating" the strike. Independent analysts noted the presence of Tomahawk cruise missile debris at the site, which they said pointed to U.S. responsibility. Iran has claimed U.S. and Israeli forces bombed nearly 10,000 civilian sites — including schools and hospitals — since the beginning of the 2026 conflict. The United States and Israel say they have struck more than 5,000 targets total, claiming the focus is military infrastructure. (Al Jazeera, March 11, 2026)
Iran responded to the 2026 strikes with hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles directed at Israel, U.S. military bases across the Middle East, and neighbouring Arab countries including Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Iranian proxies launched additional strikes in Iraq's Kurdistan. Strikes also apparently targeted Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Britain's Akrotiri base in Cyprus.
Qatar shot down two Iranian Su-24 bombers — the first nation to shoot down an Iranian aircraft in the conflict. The conflict escalated into a parallel Lebanon war, killing more than 2,000 civilians and militants.
Trump oscillated between demanding Iran's "unconditional surrender," calling for a popular uprising, and offering amnesty to military commanders who switched sides. As of May 2026, the Iranian government had not collapsed. Trump recently claimed the war would be over "very soon." (Al Jazeera; Brookings Institution)
Congressional Research Service — U.S. Strikes on Iranian Nuclear Sites
CRS Report IN12571, June 23, 2025. Provides detailed military specifications for Operation Midnight Hammer, including aircraft, ordnance, and timeline. Primary source for technical details.
Council on Foreign Relations — Military Strikes Guide
CFR, March 3, 2026. Comprehensive overview of Trump's second-term military actions including both Iran phases, Yemen, and Venezuela.
Brookings Institution — After the Strike
Brookings, March 5, 2026. Analyzes the 2026 Iran war strategy, the decapitation strikes, and the prospects for regime change.
Al Jazeera — Minab School Strike / 12-Day Analysis
Al Jazeera, March 11, 2026. Reports on the Shajareh Tayyebeh school strike in Minab, civilian death toll including 200+ children, and the strategic shift from the 2025 Twelve-Day War blueprint.
PBS NewsHour — Fact-Checking Trump's Justifications
PBS News, February 28, 2026. Fact-checks Trump's stated rationale for the 2026 strikes, including intelligence contradictions and the IAEA's inability to access sites.
Wikipedia — 2025 U.S. Strikes on Iranian Nuclear Sites
Compiled from U.S. Department of Defense, New York Times, and other primary sources. Cross-referenced with CRS report for accuracy on technical details.
Wikipedia — 2026 Iran War
Documents the escalation from the 2025 nuclear strikes to the full-scale 2026 conflict, including Iranian domestic unrest and the January 2026 civilian massacre context.