On 13 June 2025, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, targeting over a dozen sites across Iran to prevent the development of nuclear weapons. The strikes reportedly damaged key nuclear facilities and military installations, killing several top Iranian military leaders. In response, Iran initiated Operation True Promise 3, launching a series of ballistic missiles and drones at Israel. Shortly after, in the early hours of 22 June, the United States conducted Operation Midnight Hammer, striking three major Iranian nuclear sites—Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan—using seven B-2 bombers and submarine-launched missiles. The U.S. described the strikes as a pre-emptive move to degrade Iran’s nuclear capabilities. On 23 June 2025, US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between the involved countries.
In this context, a video (here, here, here and here) gaining traction on social media shows a large crater or hole in a mountainous area, with people visiting the site. It is being claimed that the visuals show the aftermath of a U.S. attack on an Iranian nuclear facility using a bunker-buster missile. Let’s investigate the truth behind this video.
Claim: The viral video showing a massive crater in a mountainous area is evidence of a U.S. bunker-buster missile strike on an Iranian nuclear facility.
Fact: The video was originally uploaded on TikTok on 17 June 2025, days before the actual U.S. strike on Iran’s nuclear sites. While the video’s exact origin couldn’t be verified, it has no connection to the U.S. attack on Iranian nuclear facilities. Hence the claim is FALSE.
To verify the truth, we performed a reverse image search, which led us to the same video uploaded on a TikTok account named rachidoujdi63 on 17 June 2025 (archived post). This predates the U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites, which took place on 22 June 2025. While we couldn’t independently confirm the exact origin or location of the video, it is clear that it has no connection to the recent U.S. attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Further research revealed that Iran has not released any official photos or videos showing damage to its nuclear sites. However, independent analyses by BBC and Al Jazeera used satellite imagery to verify the destruction. According to the BBC, recent images confirm significant damage at Iran’s Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz nuclear facilities following the U.S. and Israeli strikes in June 2025. Fordow suffered deep craters near tunnel entrances; Isfahan’s uranium conversion site saw key structures destroyed; and at Natanz, craters—likely above centrifuge halls—were later covered with dirt, possibly to conceal or reinforce the affected area.
To sum up, an old video showing a large hole in a mountain is falsely shared as the aftermath of the U.S. attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
