US dealt Irans nukes a major blow but heres why the cheers may be premature

One of the most profound threats to global security for the last thirty years or more has suffered a historic setback that will resonate for decades.In a ruse worthy of World War II’s “Operation Fortitude,” which enabled the D-Day landings, President Donald Trump launched heavy ordnance airstrikes against Iran’s nuclear weapons program late Saturday — 48 hours after telling the clerical regime he was going to mull his response over the next two weeks.Overnight, the US Air Force has perhaps irreversibly degraded Iran’s drive for the bomb.It’s tempting to react to the US strikes with unbridled euphoria — but that’s still premature.The next few hours and days will produce a sober battle damage assessment by both the United States and Israel, detailing the degree of destruction sustained at these facilities.That in turn will determine whether the badly bruised Iranian regime can embark on a reconstruction effort.According to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen.Dan Caine, “Operation Midnight Hammer” unleashed 14 Massive Ordnance Penetrators — “bunker-buster” bombs carrying 30,000-pound payloads — on the three nuclear sites, marking the first time that these had been deployed in an operational setting.Speaking to reporters Sunday morning, Hegseth said all three facilities had sustained “extremely severe damage and destruction.”But neither the Americans nor the Israelis have yet confirmed that the Iranian nuclear program has been neutralized entirely.The extent of the destruction of the underground advanced centrifuge site at Fordow is still unclear.

Predictably, in the immediate aftermath of the strike, the Iranians vehemently denied that comprehensive damage had been sustained.Subscribe to our daily Post Opinion newsletter! Please provide a valid email address.

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