US strikes spared key nuclear research reactors in Iran, satellite images reveal 

These reactors are among Iran’s most sensitive because of the potential danger of a radioactive leak if they are hit. Yet, none were damaged in the Midnight Hammer strikes led by the United States.

According to officials familiar with the inspection findings, the latest report from the IAEA does not mention any damage to these facilities.

The decision to spare the reactors, reports say, was allegedly deliberate. According to several senior officials in Vienna, military planners made the call to avoid what could have been a catastrophic situation.

Even a small operational reactor hit during an airstrike might have caused a dangerous leak and potentially set a global precedent.

Global watchdogs raise new concerns

The IAEA convened an emergency meeting in Austria to discuss the aftermath of the strikes. Officials are now pressing Iran for clarity on the location of its stockpile of enriched uranium. The worry is that ongoing military operations could make it more difficult to monitor Iran’s nuclear program.

This follows Operation Midnight Hammer, where the U.S. claimed to have hit Iran’s three major nuclear sites—Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz.

President Donald Trump declared that the sites had been “completely and totally obliterated.” But within the administration, other voices urged caution.

“I know that battle damage is of great interest. Final battle damage will take some time, but initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction,” Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine told ABC News.

“I think BDA is still pending and way too early to comment on what may or may not be there.”

Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz: What the images reveal

Fordow nuclear site

The Fordow enrichment facility—built into a mountain around 60 miles south of Tehran—was hit hard, though the extent of damage inside remains unclear.

“It is clear that Fordow was also directly impacted, but the degree of damage inside the uranium enrichment halls can’t be determined with certainty,” said IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi.

Satellite images show multiple large craters across the complex. Several entrances to the underground tunnels also appear blocked with dirt.

Experts believe the strikes targeted the facility’s ventilation shafts, possibly crippling its ability to function.

Decker Eveleth, an analyst at CNA, stated, “The only piece of evidence of deep penetration is the amount of ejecta that the MOPs produced, but we cannot say for certain what was destroyed.”

There’s also uncertainty about whether the tunnel entrances were damaged in the strikes or if Iran preemptively buried them.

“The US may have attempted to strike the tunnel entrances, but we also saw trucks and other heavy equipment covering them with dirt two days ago. So, it’s not clear to me [whether] the US did or that it matters,” elaborated Jeffrey Lewis of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies.

Isfahan Nuclear Technology and Research Center

At Isfahan, satellite imagery shows widespread new destruction across the facility. Over a dozen buildings were destroyed, adding to four others previously damaged by Israeli strikes.

“The latest attacks early this morning damaged other buildings in Esfahan. In addition, we have established that entrances to underground tunnels at the site were impacted,” said Grossi.

Earlier Israeli strikes had already damaged parts of the site, especially the fuel plate plant. The recent U.S. assault, according to Sam Lair, research associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, focused on the uranium conversion section, leaving many buildings there in ruins.

Natanz nuclear facility

Natanz, Iran’s main uranium enrichment facility, took a heavy blow in the latest attacks. Maxar satellite images show an 18-foot-wide crater directly over the underground section of the complex.

Earlier Israeli strikes had already damaged surface buildings, the electrical grid, and backup power supplies.

This new crater suggests the U.S. focused on underground infrastructure, using MOPs similar to those seen at Fordo. Experts believe the crater resulted from multiple penetrator bombs being dropped on the same spot to ensure deeper destruction.

The extent of internal damage at Natanz remains unknown. However, satellite indicators suggest that the attack successfully targeted critical underground components.