Liliputin-5864

Mission half-accomplished ... "
Donald J. Trump

Liliputins. What, the heck, is this?
http://stihi.ru/2025/03/08/5867


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U.S. Airstrikes Slam Iran’s Nuclear Sites, But the Full Damage Remains Unclear
In a bold show of force, the U.S. launched a precision strike package against three of Iran’s most fortified nuclear facilities—Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. The operation featured seven B-2 Spirit stealth bombers armed with fourteen 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators—the first time this bunker-buster has ever been used in combat. These were backed up by a barrage of Tomahawk cruise missiles fired from a U.S. Navy submarine.

Related video: WSJ Opinion: Iran Makes No Concessions as Trump Contemplates U.S. Military Action (The Wall Street Journal)
supporting that air campaign with a limited but very focused
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The Wall Street Journal
WSJ Opinion: Iran Makes No Concessions as Trump Contemplates U.S. Military Action
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Fordow took a direct hit. Satellite imagery shows significant damage to its entrances, tunnels, and even the mountainside surrounding the underground facility. The Pentagon is calling it “obliterated,” but independent analysts aren’t ready to sign off on that just yet. There’s no clear evidence that the strike penetrated the deepest underground chambers, where Iran’s most sensitive enrichment work likely takes place.

Natanz was also hit hard. This site is where Iran enriches uranium to 60%, and it reportedly housed around 1,700 advanced centrifuges. The U.S. says it was “destroyed,” with surface infrastructure wiped out and power systems fried. But again, questions remain about whether the subterranean enrichment halls—the real heart of the program—were actually neutralized. The IAEA hasn’t confirmed a total knockout.

Isfahan, Iran’s uranium conversion and fuel-plate facility, didn’t escape either. Over two dozen Tomahawks slammed into key buildings used for converting uranium and fabricating reactor fuel. The damage here is described as “major,” but no full structural report is out yet.

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Despite the ferocity of the attack, there was no radiation release—these were enrichment sites, not reactors. Iran claims it had already moved most of its nuclear material out of harm’s way, suggesting the strikes didn’t vaporize tons of enriched uranium.

All told, the U.S. is confident it delivered a serious blow. There are craters, collapsed bunkers, and fried electrical systems at all three sites. But the million-dollar question—whether Iran’s underground centrifuge halls were truly knocked out—remains unanswered. Pentagon officials say damage assessments are still ongoing.

Politically, the U.S. is framing this as a defensive operation aimed solely at Iran’s nuclear capabilities. Vice President JD Vance made that clear. Iran, not surprisingly, has responded with missile threats and posturing, raising fears of a wider escalation. China and Russia are predictably furious, and the international community is urging restraint.

Bottom line: The U.S. hit hard. Iran’s nuclear ambitions took a solid punch to the gut. But whether they’re down for the count or just shaken up is still being figured out.