US bombers trick Iran with fake route before surprise strike

US bombers trick Iran with fake route before surprise strike

In a calculated and deceptive manoeuvre, US B-2 stealth bombers launched a strike on Iran’s most fortified nuclear facilities by first heading west over the Pacific—only to later pivot and attack from the east. The tactic, part of a surprise offensive authorized by the President Donald Trump, was designed to fool Iranian surveillance and preserve the element of surprise in one of the most consequential American military operations in years, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The operation unfolded early Saturday morning, when flight trackers began noticing B-2 bombers departing from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri and heading westward. For hours, the public assumption—mirrored by foreign intelligence monitors—was that the US was conducting a long-range training or deterrence mission across the Pacific. But behind the scenes, another group of bombers had veered eastward with a classified objective: to obliterate Iran’s deeply buried uranium enrichment facilities.

The deception that shaped the attack

Pentagon officials confirmed Sunday that the feint was deliberate. “Decoy indeed,” said one defence official. “Hiding them and preserving the element of surprise was critical.” While the westbound bombers acted as bait, a separate strike team flew east with minimal radio communication. This stealth group, joined by US Navy submarines launching Tomahawk cruise missiles, attacked Iran’s key nuclear sites—Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan—with unprecedented force.

Trump gave the final green light from his New Jersey golf club Saturday afternoon. “The goal was to create a situation when everyone wasn’t expecting it,” a senior administration official explained, noting that previous public statements from the president had suggested a decision on Iran would take days, not hours.

The first combat use of bunker buster bombs

The mission marked the first combat deployment of the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, a 30,000-pound bomb designed to destroy reinforced underground targets. Twelve were dropped on Fordow, while others struck Natanz. Submarine-launched missiles hit Isfahan and supplemented the airstrike on Natanz.

President Trump later addressed the nation, calling the operation “a spectacular military success,” and claiming that Iran’s “key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.”

Iran, however, downplayed the damage. State media reported only superficial harm to tunnels and insisted nuclear development would continue. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the US of deception, saying, “We were in the middle of negotiations. They have proven they are not men of diplomacy.”

Striking while diplomacy stalled

The strike came just days before another round of Iran-US nuclear negotiations was scheduled in Oman. Trump’s decision to go ahead with the attack—despite no prior order to ready a B-2 strike force—suggests the operation was designed not only to eliminate targets but also to undermine Iran’s sense of security and disrupt its timing.

The Israeli government had reportedly been aware of the strike plans and kept them tightly under wraps to prevent Iran from relocating centrifuges. Officials in Jerusalem, long urging Washington to intervene, monitored the US operation in real time.

Looking ahead: Tehran’s next move

While Trump declared victory, the world now watches for Tehran’s retaliation. Iran’s foreign ministry has condemned the strike, and hardliners are calling for military responses that could include targeting US troops, cyberattacks, or efforts to disrupt shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Pentagon, meanwhile, says its forces in the Middle East are on heightened alert. By veiling its strike behind a decoy and hitting with force, the US has achieved a tactical win—but it may have also set in motion a new and unpredictable chapter in the standoff with Iran.