"Operation Midnight Hammer was the culmination of those 15 years of incredible work," General Dan 'Razin' Caine told reporters this morning in a briefing on the strikes in Iran. The Pentagon developed the GBU-57 bunker-buster in part for this mission, modeled its effects 'extensively,' and applied it directly on target. Gen. Cain made sure everyone knew that this was not an impulsive idea, but rather the fruition of a long-game strategy matched with the specter of acute weaponization -- and the will to defeat it. 

The story begins when Western intelligence first noticed the Iranians building something significant at Fordow, Cain explains:

Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, revealed that it took over 15 years of detailed planning and analysis to the successful destruction of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. pic.twitter.com/KmSsCNwWGX

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) June 26, 2025

Not only did the Pentagon develop the GBU-57 to penetrate and destroy Fordow, they also tested it. Caine apparently didn't get into too many details there, but he did show super-slo-mo video of one such test. For those who scoffed at the lack of obvious damage at the surface in before-and-after satellite photos, Caine instructed that these munitions are not designed for that outcome. Instead, the subterranean blast and shockwaves are intended to destroy tunnels and equipment. 

Dropping twelve of them on the two vent shafts means a massive amount of shockwaves and blast damage, Caine concludes, noting that all twelve went precisely where they were targeted:

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