Satellite imagery has confirmed what Iran feared most — the Natanz nuclear enrichment facility, the crown jewel of Tehran’s atomic program, has been struck by US-Israeli forces during Operation Epic Fury. The revelation came Monday as the Pentagon declared air superiority over Iran, CENTCOM confirmed a rising American death toll, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth refused to rule out ground troops.
Day 3 of the largest US military operation since the 2003 invasion of Iraq is reshaping the Middle East in real time. Here’s everything you need to know.
Natanz Hit: Satellite Proof of Nuclear Strikes
Commercial satellite imagery released Monday by spatial intelligence firm Vantor revealed the destruction of three structures at Iran’s Natanz Nuclear Enrichment Facility — the country’s largest uranium enrichment center located in Isfahan Province.
The images, independently verified by Reuters and the New York Times, show clear building damage consistent with precision strikes. Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Reza Najafi, confirmed the strikes during an emergency board meeting in Vienna, calling the US-Israeli justification that Iran was pursuing nuclear weapons “a big lie.”
Neither the United States nor Israel has officially acknowledged targeting Natanz specifically. However, the IDF’s Farsi-language spokesperson announced on March 1 that Israeli forces were “systematically dismantling” Iranian nuclear infrastructure.
The IAEA held an emergency session at the request of Russia and Iran. Director General Rafael Grossi told the 35-member Board of Governors that the agency has “no indication that any of the nuclear installations have been damaged or hit” — a statement that appears to contradict both satellite evidence and Iran’s own claims. Grossi added the agency has been unable to establish contact with Iran’s nuclear regulatory authorities.
This marks the second time Iran’s nuclear sites have been targeted by the US in less than a year. In June 2025, Operation Midnight Hammer struck the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan facilities, which the Pentagon estimated set Iran’s nuclear program back by two years. However, the IAEA discovered in late February 2026 that Iran had hidden highly enriched uranium in an undamaged underground facility — a revelation that may have helped trigger the current strikes.
Pentagon Declares Air Superiority Over Iran
In the first public Pentagon briefing since Operation Epic Fury began Saturday morning, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine painted a picture of overwhelming American military dominance.
General Caine announced that “local air superiority has been established” over Iran after US and Israeli forces destroyed or suppressed more than 200 Iranian air defense systems. This achievement, Caine said, would “not only enhance the protection of our forces, but also allow them to continue the work over Iran.”
CENTCOM confirmed that more than 1,250 targets have been struck since operations began at approximately 1:15 AM Eastern Time on Saturday, March 1. Targets include ballistic missile launchers, command-and-control nodes, air defense batteries, military bases, and leadership compounds.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) confirmed that the combined US-Israeli force has achieved air superiority specifically over Tehran City, with waves of airstrikes concentrated in the capital. B-2 Spirit stealth bombers — America’s most advanced strategic aircraft — have been deployed alongside B-1B Lancers in the campaign.
Hegseth Won’t Rule Out Ground Troops
Perhaps the most significant development from Monday’s Pentagon briefing was what Hegseth didn’t say. When asked directly about putting American ground troops into Iran, the Defense Secretary declined to rule it out.
“We’re not going to go into the exercise of what we will or will not do,” Hegseth told reporters, adding that while there are no ground forces in Iran now, the US would “go as far as we need.”
Hegseth insisted the US would not get “bogged down” in another endless war, but offered no exit strategy or defined endgame. When pressed on Trump’s earlier suggestion of a 4-5 week timeline, Hegseth was vague: “Four weeks, two weeks, six weeks. It could move up, it could move back.”
General Caine was more direct about the difficulty ahead, warning this “was not an overnight operation” and that the fighting would be difficult.
US Death Toll Rises to 6
CENTCOM confirmed Monday afternoon that six US service members have been killed in action during Operation Epic Fury — up from the initial report of three on Saturday.
The toll rose after forces recovered the remains of two previously unaccounted-for service members from a facility struck during Iran’s initial retaliatory attacks. A fourth service member had earlier died from wounds sustained in the same Iranian strikes.
Multiple additional service members remain seriously wounded, with others suffering minor shrapnel injuries and concussions. The names of the fallen have not been released pending next-of-kin notification.
President Trump vowed to “avenge” the deaths, saying combat operations would continue with full intensity.
IAEA Emergency Meeting: The Nuclear Wildcard
The emergency IAEA board meeting in Vienna underscored the nuclear dimension of this conflict that sets it apart from any US military operation in decades.
The ISW reported Monday that it is monitoring multiple Iranian nuclear facilities beyond Natanz, including the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center, a suspected nuclear site at Kolang Gaz La Mountain, and the Taleghan 2 site at the Parchin Military Complex in Tehran Province.
The IAEA noted that the Tehran Research Reactor is “not expected” to be a US or Israeli target. But the agency’s inability to contact Iranian nuclear regulators raises serious questions about whether radiation containment protocols are being maintained at damaged facilities.
The backstory adds urgency: on February 27, just days before the strikes began, the IAEA disclosed that Iran had hidden highly enriched uranium in an underground facility that survived the 2025 strikes. The agency stated it could not be certain Iran’s nuclear program was “exclusively peaceful” — language that effectively gave the US and Israel a green light.
The Bigger Picture
Operation Epic Fury is now the largest American military operation since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and it’s only Day 3. The combination of confirmed nuclear facility strikes, declared air superiority, a rising death toll, and the Pentagon’s refusal to rule out ground forces suggests this campaign is far from over.
Iran continues to retaliate — striking 9 countries, closing the Strait of Hormuz, and hitting the US Embassy in Riyadh with drone strikes. Oil prices have surged past $82. The State Department has ordered all Americans to leave the Middle East.
The nuclear dimension makes this conflict uniquely dangerous. With the IAEA unable to reach Iranian nuclear officials and satellite imagery confirming strikes on enrichment facilities, the world is watching to see whether this campaign eliminates Iran’s nuclear threat — or unleashes something far worse.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.