Which Iranian nuclear facilities did the US strike and 'obliterate'?

Early on Sunday, the US carried out a series of strikes on key Iranian nuclear sites, joining its ally Israel's war on the country, now in its second week.

In a public address, President Donald Trump praised the strikes, calling them "spectacular military success," and claimed that three nuclear facilities have been "completely and fully obliterated".

"Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace," Trump said in a televised address to the nation from the White House after the strikes.

The Iranian government reacted with anger, admitting that the nuclear sites – Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan – had been attacked by "enemy strikes".  All facilities are understood to be central to Iran’s nuclear programme, which Tehran has continuously said is for peaceful purposes only.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the attacks as "outrageous" and "lawless and criminal behaviour," before adding that there "will have everlasting consequences".

Which sites did the US strikes? The New Arab takes a look:

Fordo

Fordo is an underground uranium facility located around 30 kilometres north of the holy city of Qom, in central Iran. The site is buried under a mountain and protected by anti-aircraft batteries

Construction of the site reportedly began in 2006, but this was not revealed until 2009 – much to the ire of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Western leaders, who condemned Iran for not disclosing the site's existence.

It is Iran's second uranium enrichment facility, after the Natanz nuclear facility.

In 2023, the IAEA found that uranium enrichment levels had reached 83.7 percent -  a few levels shy away from the 90 percent needed to build a nuclear weapon.

The plant is believed to house around 2,000 to 3,000 centrifuges used for the separation of isotopes and concentrating uranium-235 content.

Initially it was described as an "emergency" facility built underground to protect it from potential air attacks – particularly from Israel who has threatened to strike the nuclear facility over the years.

Satellite imagery shows the plant surrounded by a checkpoint, support building and security perimeter and multiple tunnel entrances.

Given its location under a mountain, military experts have said that Fordo can only be destroyed by bunker buster bombs – designed to penetrate deep below the surface before exploding.

The US used Northrop B-2 stealth bombers which carried massive GBU-57 MOP bunker busters to destroy it.

Trump described Fordo as Iran's "primary site" and claimed that it was "gone" in Truth Social post. However, it could be days if not weeks before the details of any damage are made known.

Iran claimed that all the important equipment, including highly enriched uranium, had been removed from the facility before the US strikes.

The post impact satellite images of the Fordo nuclear facility have shown two places which can be interpreted as two possible bomb entry points. It also shows that the land had caved inwards following the strike, whereas the tunnel entrances had been sealed with dirt.

Personnel numbers were also reduced at the site, according to Iranian officials, who said that there were no fatalities as a result of any of the strikes.

Fordo was attacked before on 13 June, when Israel launched its unprecedented attacks on Iran triggering the ongoing conflict. Damage to the site was reported as limited, likely because only the US possesses the bunker buster bombs required to destroy it.

Natanz

The Natanz Nuclear Facility is arguably the most high-profile nuclear site in Iran. Located near a samall central Iranian city of the same name, the site has been used for uranium enrichment.

The Natanz site is built around three floors - eight metres - underground and is protected by a concrete shield with a thickness of 2.5 metres. Uranium with purity levels up to 60 percent is believed to have been enriched there.

The complex is be composed of three underground buildings, two of which are built to have a capacity of 50,000 centrifuges.

The Iranian government acknowledged its existence around 2003, and it was reportedly discovered the year prior.

Currently, Natanz operates nearly 70 cascades of centrifuges at its two enrichment plants, one of which is underground. A cascade is a series of centrifuges - machines used in the process of enriching uranium.

The site was previously targeted sometime in 2007 by a coalition of Israeli, European and US intelligence agents, who launched a cyber attack which aimed to hamper the operation of its centrifuges and cause damage over time.

Several incidents have occurred since, notably in 2020 and 2021 both blamed on Israel.

Natanz was also damaged on 13 June after Israel’s strikes. A fuel enrichment plan containing 1,700 advanced gas centrifuges was destroyed with at least three explosive impacts visible in satellite imagery.

The IAEA said that contamination only affected the site, but not surrounding areas. At the time of the attack, news agency IRNA, quoting an Iranian official, reported that there was no radioactive material at the three sites which were targeted.

 No details have emerged concerning any damage that the site might have sustained as a consequence of the US’s Sunday attacks.

Isfahan Nuclear Technology Centre

The Isfahan Nuclear Technology Centre is home to at least 3,000 scientists and to three Chinese-built research reactors and laboratories associated with Iran's nuclear programme.

The plant was founded in the 1984 with Chinese assistance, and houses Iran’s largest nuclear centre within the University of Isfahan.

Built on an area of ​​60 hectares, it includes approximately 60 facilities and production centres operating in Iran's nuclear industry, including several nuclear reactors

It also operates a conversion facility, a fuel production facility, a zirconium coating facility, and other facilities and laboratories, according to the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI).

At the centre, raw mined uranium is processed into uranium tetrafluoride (UF4) and then into uranium hexafluoride (UF6), a feed gas for centrifuges.

The Isfahan centre also harbours a nuclear fuel fabrication facility, which was inaugurated in 2009 and produces low-enriched fuel for use in power plants.

In July 2022, Iran announced plans to construct a new research reactor there.

Four of its buildings have been hit by Israel since 13 June, including a uranium conversion plant. The IAEA said no sign of increased radiation at the site following the attacks.

Like Natanz and Fordow, Trump said the Isfahan centre had been obliterated because of the strikes, but details concerning this have yet to emerge.