US attacks: Impact on Iran's nuclear facilities at a glance

Navy, submarines, cruise missiles and bombs weighing 13,600 kilograms - after initially relying on diplomacy, US President Donald Trump turned to an extraordinary military intervention against Iran on Saturday night and attacked three key sites in the Iranian nuclear program.

US attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities

Trump claimed that Iran's nuclear facilities had been "wiped out," but some Iranian officials downplayed the impact of the attacks, similar to the first Israeli attack on Iran's facilities on June 13. With the emergence of satellite images of the night attacks, it is now possible to assess the damage caused to Iran's nuclear program.

Fordow: Iran's most important nuclear power plant

The Fordow facility is Iran's most important nuclear enrichment center, hidden deep in a mountain to protect it from attack. The main halls are estimated to be 80 to 90 meters underground. Analysts have long said that only the United States has the bomb necessary to penetrate so deep - the massive GBU-57, weighing 13,600 kilograms.

A US official told CNN that the US used six B-2 bombers to drop 12 of the "bunker buster" bombs on the site. A CNN analysis of satellite images showed that the US strikes left at least six large craters on the Fordow site, indicating the use of bunker-buster bombs.

Damage and reactions

The images taken by Maxar show six separate impact craters at two nearby locations in Fordow. Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), informed CNN that there was a "direct kinetic impact" on Fordow, but it was too early to say about the presence of internal damage at the underground site. “Of course you can’t rule out the possibility that significant damage was caused there,” said Grossi.

David Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), commented on the satellite images and suggested that "a significant amount of damage may have been caused to the enrichment facility and the adjacent halls supporting the enrichment." According to Albright, complete destruction of the underground hall is certainly possible, but assessing the damage would take time.

Natanz: Iran's largest enrichment center

Natanz is the site of Iran's largest nuclear enrichment center and was previously targeted in Israel's first attack on Iran on June 13. The facility has six above-ground buildings and three underground structures that house centrifuges - a crucial technology for uranium enrichment. The above-ground facilities were damaged in Israel's initial attack, and the IAEA reported damage to the plant's electrical infrastructure.

Although it remains unclear whether the Israeli attack caused direct damage to the underground facilities, the IAEA noted that the power outage in the underground cascade room "may have damaged the centrifuges there." The USA also attacked Natanz in its operation on Saturday evening. A U.S. official said a B-2 bomber dropped two bunker-buster bombs on the site.

Isfahan: Center of Nuclear Research

Isfahan, located in central Iran, is home to the country's largest nuclear research site. The facility was built with support from China and opened in 1984, according to the non-governmental organization Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI). Around 3,000 scientists are employed in Isfahan, and the facility is considered a "suspect hub" of Iran's nuclear program.

Albright reported that initial reports indicated that the U.S. also attacked tunnel complexes near the Isfahan site "where enriched uranium is typically stored." If confirmed, this would show that the US was attempting to destroy Iran's stockpiles of 20% and 60% enriched uranium. Weapons-grade uranium is enriched to 90%.

CNN was unable to independently verify reports of attacks on tunnel complexes near the Isfahan site. At a Pentagon press conference on Sunday, Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said a U.S. submarine "launched more than a dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles against key targets at the Isfahan facility."