Did Trump pull back from a wider war with Iran? Inside the scrapped plan to strike more nuclear sites beyond Operation Midnight Hammer

Time of India

4 days ago

In June, the US launched a precision airstrike on Iran's key nuclear sites under
Operation Midnight
Hammer. It was described by President Donald Trump as a decisive blow to Iran's nuclear programme. But intelligence gathered since tells a more complicated story.
Only one of the three main targets, the Fordow facility, suffered heavy damage. According to a US intelligence assessment reported by NBC News, strikes on
Natanz
and
Isfahan
were far less effective. Both sites could potentially restart uranium enrichment within months.
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Despite this, Trump has stood by his original statement. 'Iran's key enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated,' he said, shortly after the strike.
Pentagon
spokesperson Sean Parnell backed him, stating, 'There is no doubt about that.'
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A broader strike that never happened
The
US Central Command
had prepared a much larger, longer campaign. The plan included targeting three additional sites and launching a wave of attacks over several weeks. It also aimed to dismantle Iran's air defences and missile capabilities.
But Trump turned it down.
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'We were willing to go all the way in our options, but the president did not want to,' a source familiar with the planning told NBC News.
The proposed campaign, if carried out, would likely have led to higher casualties and drawn the US deeper into conflict with Iran. Trump, according to officials, preferred to avoid escalation and stick with a one-night strike instead.
ET has not been able to independently verify these claims and the report is based on an earlier NBC News report.
Operation Midnight Hammar
On 22 June, B-2 stealth bombers struck Fordow using the GBU-57 — a 30,000-pound bunker buster bomb, deployed in combat for the first time. Tomahawk missiles were used against Isfahan, and Natanz was also targeted with bunker busters.
Fordow, carved deep into a mountain, was the main success. Intelligence suggests Iran's ability to enrich uranium there has been set back by as much as two years.
But the same can't be said for Natanz and Isfahan. The latter's structures were too deep to reach, and only surface targets were hit. At Natanz, some infrastructure survived the blasts. Both sites may be able to resume operations within a few months.
White House responds
Despite internal assessments showing limited damage to two of the three sites, official statements have held a different line.
White House
spokesperson Anna Kelly told NBC News: 'As the President has said and experts have verified, Operation Midnight Hammer totally obliterated Iran's nuclear capabilities.'
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell added: 'The credibility of the
Fake News Media
is similar to that of the current state of the Iranian nuclear facilities: destroyed, in the dirt, and will take years to recover.'
Trump himself doubled down on social media, writing, 'Monumental damage was done to all nuclear sites in Iran... Bullseye!!!'
Intelligence still evolving
The initial assessment by the
Defence Intelligence Agency
had suggested Iran's nuclear programme was only set back by a few months. But more recent intelligence now points to deeper damage at Fordow.
CIA
Director John Ratcliffe briefed lawmakers in late June, stating the Natanz metal conversion facility was destroyed and would take 'years to rebuild.'
Ratcliffe also said enriched uranium at Isfahan and Fordow was buried deep enough that Iran would struggle to access it. The US has seen no signs yet that Iran is attempting to recover buried materials.
A senior Israeli official agreed that some uranium remains buried but called it 'effectively unreachable.' Israel has also warned it is monitoring and will strike again if it believes Iran is trying to dig it out.
Iran maintains that its nuclear programme is civilian in nature. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi acknowledged the damage at Fordow but denied that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons. In an interview with NBC News, given just before the strikes, he repeated Iran's position that it is not building a bomb.
Tehran's stance remains unchanged. But according to officials, Iran had enough fissile material for up to ten bombs before the June strikes. That estimate came from US officials and UN inspectors.
The limited damage at Natanz and Isfahan has prompted discussions in Washington and Tel Aviv about possible follow-up strikes. Some officials argue that if Iran resumes work or refuses to negotiate, further military action could be needed.
Asked in late June whether he would consider another strike if Iran restarts enrichment, Trump responded: 'Sure. Without question. Absolutely.'
Iran's air defence systems were heavily targeted during Operation Midnight Hammer, and US officials believe it would be nearly impossible for Iran to defend against another strike in the near future.
'It was made clear that Iran no longer has any more [air defences], so the idea that they can easily rebuild anything is ludicrous,' a White House official told NBC.
This flashpoint didn't appear out of nowhere. In 2018, Trump pulled the US out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, a nuclear deal agreed under Barack Obama. That agreement had imposed strict curbs on Iran's enrichment in exchange for lifting sanctions.
After leaving the deal, Trump reimposed economic pressure. Iran, in turn, ramped up its enrichment activity. Before the June strike, intelligence showed Iran had breached limits and built up material for several bombs.
Attempts to restart diplomacy between Washington and Tehran failed. Meanwhile, Israel had already begun taking matters into its own hands with earlier targeted strikes.
The all-in plan that was shelved
General Erik Kurilla, head of US Central Command, had drawn up what officials referred to as an 'all-in' plan. It involved six targets, multiple waves of strikes and attacks on Iran's missile systems.
'It would be a protracted air campaign,' a person familiar with the plan told NBC News.
Trump was briefed on it. But he rejected it. The risk of escalation, retaliation, and a drawn-out conflict went against the instincts that had defined much of his foreign policy.
Some within his administration supported the more aggressive approach. Others believed the limited operation would be enough to alter Tehran's calculus.
While Fordow lies crippled, Natanz and Isfahan may not stay idle for long. Officials warn that if Iran begins repair work or resumes enrichment, the US and Israel might act again.
The message from Washington is clear: the strikes changed the equation. But the outcome is not final. As intelligence assessments continue and diplomatic channels remain stalled, the situation remains fragile.
The US believes it has set Iran back. Whether that's enough, though, may soon be tested.