Iran Vows Retaliation For U.S. Nuclear Strikes As Trump Warned To Prepare 50,000 Coffins

An Iranian state TV presenter has warned that the U.S. should expect 50,000 soldiers to return home in “coffins” after airstrikes targeting nuclear facilities over the weekend. 

It comes as top U.S. officials acknowledged they cannot confirm the whereabouts of Iran’s near-weapons-grade uranium, just one day after President Donald Trump declared that Iran’s nuclear infrastructure had been “completely and totally obliterated.”

Despite the massive airstrikes, the future of Iran’s nuclear program remains uncertain.

Expect 50,000 soldiers to return home in “coffins,” an Iranian state TV presenter warned the U.S.

Image credits: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Vice President JD Vance, speaking on ABC’s This Week, admitted that the U.S. does not yet know what happened to Iran’s uranium stockpile, estimated to be enough for nine to ten nuclear bombs. 

“We are going to work in the coming weeks to ensure that we do something with that fuel and that’s one of the things that we’re going to have conversations with the Iranians about,” he said. 

Still, he maintained that Iran’s ability to weaponize uranium had been significantly set back. 

U.S. forces launched coordinated strikes on Sunday, June 22, against three key nuclear sites in Iran — Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan. 

The Fordo site suffered the most extensive damage, hit by 30,000-pound bunker-busting bombs dropped by B-2 bombers. 

Iran has condemned the U.S. attacks and threatened “heavy consequences” for striking its nuclear sites.

After Trump raised the possibility of regime change in Tehran, Iranian state TV anchor Mehdi Khanalizadeh warned that up to 50,000 American soldiers will be returned to Washington in “coffins.”

Image credits: Office of the Supreme Leader of Iran via Getty Images

“It is now clearer than ever, not just for the Iranian nation but for the whole peoples of the region, that all U.S. citizens and military personnel are legitimate targets,” Khanalizadeh said.

“We were negotiating and progressing through a diplomatic path, but you chose to spill the blood of your soldiers. The U.S. president in the Oval Office chose to take delivery of the coffins of up to 50,000 U.S. soldiers in Washington.”

Satellite images from Fordo show large craters puncturing the mountainside, indicating deep penetration of Iran’s fortified underground facility.

U.S. officials cannot confirm the whereabouts of Iran’s near-weapons-grade uranium

Image credits: Satellite image (c) 2025 Maxar Technologies

However, questions remain about the Isfahan site, where most of Iran’s 60-percent enriched uranium was reportedly stored.  

Unlike Fordo, Isfahan was struck only by Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from a submarine. 

According to CNN, the U.S. did not deploy bunker busters at that location, possibly due to uncertainty over whether the bombs could reach the deeper tunnels.

Trump wrote on Truth Social that satellite images he obtained showed the Iranian nuclear facilities were “obliterated,” adding that most damage took place “far below ground level.”

However, experts analyzing commercial satellite imagery say aboveground structures at Isfahan were damaged, but there is little evidence that the strikes impacted the underground uranium storage areas. 

“The damage to the facility appears to be restricted to above ground structures,” Jeffrey Lewis, a nuclear weapons expert at the Middlebury Institute, told CNN.

Israeli intelligence suggests that Iran anticipated the attacks and may have moved as much as 400 kilograms of enriched uranium with 60% purity to a new enrichment plant near Isfahan. 

Rafael Grossi, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), confirmed that inspectors last saw the fuel days before the airstrikes. 

“We did not have elements to prove that Iran had a plan or a systematic effort towards a nuclear weapon.”
Part 2 of my conversation with UN atomic energy watchdog chief @rafaelmgrossi, who assessed the impact of US strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites: pic.twitter.com/SSe7IoezZe

— Fareed Zakaria (@FareedZakaria) June 22, 2025

He now believes Iran has relocated the material.

The uncertainty has triggered strong political reactions at home and abroad. 

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) called for Trump’s impeachment on Sunday evening, accusing him of launching an unauthorized military escalation without congressional approval and potentially igniting a regional war. 

“He has impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations,” she said in a statement.

Democrats have called for Trump to be impeached

The President’s disastrous decision to bomb Iran without authorization is a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers.

He has impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations.

It is absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment.

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 22, 2025

Iranian officials say they will no longer cooperate with international inspectors and will reassess their obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty. 

Tehran has also signaled it may consider closing the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil chokepoint.

The strait is the only sea route from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean, with about 20% of the world’s oil transiting the waterway. 

Image credits: Mostafaf Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images

Its closure could put one-fifth of the world’s oil supply at risk. 

While the U.S. backed Israel, Russia has quickly backed Iran. 

Iran has signalled it may close the Strait of Hormuz, a global oil chokepoint

Mitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, said: “A number of countries are ready to directly supply Iran with their own nuclear warheads.”

Moscow’s Foreign Ministry called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council with a draft resolution that would condemn the attacks on Iran’s nuclear installations. 

China expressed similar concerns, warning that continued conflict could destabilize the Middle East, and called the actions of the U.S. a “dangerous turning point.”

At the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine refrained from echoing Trump’s claim that Iran’s program had been wiped out. 

Image credits: Carlos Barria/Getty Images

Instead, they offered a more measured assessment, noting “severe damage” to Iranian facilities but acknowledging that full destruction was not achieved.

The extent of the long-term impact remains unclear. While Fordo may be out of operation for years, Grossi said on Thursday that Iran will soon open a new uranium enrichment plant in Isfahan in retaliation for a diplomatic push against it.

The situation has reignited debate over the U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal. 

Critics argue that diplomacy was more effective in containing Iran’s nuclear ambitions than military action. 

Iran will soon open a new uranium enrichment plant, limiting IAEA oversight 

Image credits: Getty Images

Under the deal, Iran agreed to strict limits on enrichment and allowed robust inspections. 

After Trump exited the agreement in 2018, Iran ramped up its nuclear activities and limited IAEA oversight.

Now, international inspectors face further barriers. With Iran suspending all wartime inspections, it remains unlikely that the IAEA will be able to verify the status of Fordo, Natanz, or the relocated uranium.

Former Pentagon official Mick Mulroy said: “With the type and amount of munitions used, it will likely set back the Iranian nuclear weapon program two to five years.”