Fact Check: Iran’s nuclear site damaged by US strikes video? No, here are the facts
A video claiming to show the aftermath of Iran’s nuclear site after a US B-2 bomber strike is viral on social media.
By M Ramesh Naik
Claim:A video shows the aftermath of bunker-busting bombs dropped by the US military on Iran’s nuclear facility on June 22.
Fact:The claim is false. The video was uploaded to TikTok on June 16, five days before the US strikes, making it impossible for it to show the aftermath of the attack.
Hyderabad: A video claiming to show the aftermath of the recent US airstrike on Iran’s nuclear facility is going viral on social media. The footage shows several individuals walking into a large rubble-filled hole and is being shared with captions linking it to the destruction caused by ‘bunker-buster’ bombs dropped by US B-2 bombers.
An Instagram user posted the video with the caption, “See what happened to the place where the US used a B2 bomber on Iran.” (Archive) (Translated from Telugu)
The viral claim comes in the wake of US airstrikes on June 22 on three Iranian nuclear sites: Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan. The US military confirmed it used GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs, designed to destroy fortified underground facilities.
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The video was uploaded online before the June 22 strikes and is not related to Iran’s nuclear site.
Using reverse image search and metadata analysis, NewsMeter traced the earliest upload of the video to TikTok on June 16, five days before the airstrikes. This alone proves the footage cannot show the aftermath of the bombing. TikTok is not allowed in India. It can be reached using a VPN. (Archive)
The video shows people descending into a large crater, but it lacks identifiable markers to establish its connection to Iran or any specific nuclear facility. There are no visible military structures, equipment or landscape features linked to the nuclear site.
Meanwhile, no credible media outlet has verified that the video is from a nuclear site or even Iran. Coverage by CNN, Reuters, AP and others on the Iran nuclear site strike does not include this footage or make any reference to it.
On June 22, US President Donald Trump claimed on Truth Social that the Fordo facility was “COMPLETELY DESTROYED!” US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed that sentiment in a press briefing, stating, “We devastated the Iranian nuclear program.”
However, a leaked Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) assessment, reported by CNN, indicated that Fordo may have sustained only partial damage due to its deep underground design. Satellite imagery showed at least six bomb craters, but the extent of internal structural damage remains unconfirmed.
NewsMeter independently could not verify the location, but the video has been online since June 16.
Therefore, the claim is false. The viral video predates the June 22 US airstrikes and does not show the aftermath of the attack on Iran’s nuclear facility. There is no evidence linking the video to the site or event.
