Has the US recently bombed Iran
Executive summary
Yes — the United States carried out air strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June 2025, when B‑2 bombers and Tomahawk missiles struck Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan under an operation cited in multiple reports [1] [2]. Since those strikes there has been intense diplomatic and military maneuvering, and while U.S. officials have repeatedly threatened further strikes in early 2026, major outlets and think tanks describe the U.S. as holding off additional large-scale attacks as of early February 2026 [3] [4].
1. The short answer: yes — but not in the most recent weeks
The concrete, documented attack most widely cited took place on June 22, 2025, when U.S. forces struck three Iranian nuclear sites using fourteen GBU‑57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators delivered by B‑2 bombers and Tomahawk cruise missiles, a strike described in reporting and background summaries [1] [2]. Reporting from January–February 2026 documents heightened threats, deployments and contingency planning but does not report a new, comparable U.S. bombing campaign after the June strikes [3] [4].
2. What happened in June 2025: scope, weapons and targets
Open reporting and summaries indicate Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan were targeted in what sources describe as strikes aimed at degrading Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, with the Fordow site singled out because it is deep underground and was hit with bunker‑busting MOPs that only U.S. B‑2s can carry, alongside submarine‑launched Tomahawks [1] [2]. U.S. officials framed the strikes as disrupting Iran’s program while some Iranian authorities condemned them as a violation of international law, a contrast reflected across international coverage [2].
3. The period since: threats, deployments and diplomacy, not new large strikes
Since last June, the U.S. has repeatedly signaled readiness to use force if conditions set by the administration are crossed and has moved significant assets into the region — including an aircraft carrier strike group and long‑range air assets — while diplomats engaged in shuttle diplomacy to reduce the risk of escalation [5] [6] [7]. President Trump and other U.S. officials renewed talking points about possible strikes in late January 2026, prompting stern Iranian warnings that any attack would spark a regional war [3] [8]. At the same time, analysts and policy centers noted the administration appeared to be “holding off” for now, keeping options open rather than launching new large‑scale attacks as of mid‑January and early February 2026 [4] [9].
4. How analysts and institutions frame the June strikes and current posture
Commentators at Brookings and other policy outlets argue the 2025 strikes effectively put the U.S. in an undeclared kinetic conflict with Iran and caution about long‑term consequences for regional stability and proliferation dynamics [10]. Military and intelligence reporting — including The New York Times and BBC analyses — highlighted that the U.S. demonstrated unique penetration capability when it used MOPs and assessed Iran would need months to recover certain enrichment capabilities, a calculation that underpins both the deterrent rationale and the debate over further action [11] [2].
5. What remains uncertain and where reporting is cautious
Open sources confirm the June 2025 bombing and document the tense military and diplomatic aftermath, but publicly available reporting through early February 2026 does not show new U.S. bombing runs comparable to the June strikes; instead it records deployments, threats, diplomatic outreach and regional militia warnings [1] [5] [12]. Exact decision‑making inside the U.S. national security apparatus, the full scope of classified military options, and any undisclosed kinetic actions beyond what mainstream outlets have reported are not available in these sources, and this analysis does not assert knowledge beyond what those sources document [4] [7].