President Donald Trump has, for the first time, claimed that key Iranian nuclear sites hit by US B-2 bombers in June 2025 were also 'drug factories', telling supporters that Iran was 'doing drugs' at the facilities targeted in Operation Midnight Hammer.
Speaking at a rally in Durant, Oklahoma, Trump revisited the mission and said the facilities struck by US forces were involved in both nuclear activity and drugs. 'They were nuclear and drugs. They were doing drugs, but they were doing the nuclear,' Trump told the crowd.
The remark appears to be the first time Trump has publicly described the Iranian facilities targeted in the operation as 'drug factories'. He did not specify what drugs he meant, identify a particular narcotics facility or provide details about the alleged activity.
Trump's 'Drug Factories' Remark Raises Questions
Trump gave an account of the B-2 Spirit bombers used in the mission, recalling how they flew from Missouri before dropping their weapons on Iranian targets. 'They went from Missouri and then at one o'clock in the morning, with no moon, dark as can be,' Trump said. He then described the targets as drug facilities.
'They unloaded every single bomb, went right down air chutes into this, uh, drug factories, really,' Trump said. 'That's what they were doing.'
Trump later referred to the sites as 'drug factories/nuclear factories', saying they had been hit extremely hard.
What Operation Midnight Hammer Hit
Operation Midnight Hammer took place in June 2025, months before the current US-Iran war began in February 2026.
The Pentagon said the mission targeted three Iranian nuclear facilities, Fordow, Natanz and Esfahan. Seven B-2 bombers formed the main strike package, with US forces also using Tomahawk cruise missiles and other aircraft.
The Pentagon said approximately 75 precision-guided weapons were used, including 14 GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators. More than 125 US aircraft took part in the wider operation.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said at the time that the strikes had devastated Iran's nuclear programme, while Gen Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, detailed the scale of the mission.
The Pentagon's public account identified the sites as nuclear facilities. Trump's latest description adds 'drug factories' to that account.
The Missing Details
Trump's comments leave a key question: what did he mean when he said Iran was 'doing drugs'?
He did not say whether he was referring to narcotics production, trafficking, or another form of drug-related activity. He also did not identify a separate drug facility or explain whether the alleged activity was connected to Fordow, Natanz or Esfahan.
The military operation itself is well documented, but Trump's new description introduces an element that was not part of the Pentagon's public explanation at the time.
From Iran to Venezuela
The comments also come as counter-narcotics operations have become a prominent part of Trump's military rhetoric.
In January, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was captured in a US military raid and brought to the United States. He faces charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy and conspiracy to import cocaine, allegations he has denied.
The Trump administration has also carried out strikes against vessels it says were involved in drug trafficking, providing wider context for the president's latest comments. That broader counter-narcotics campaign, however, does not establish what Trump meant by his description of the Iranian sites.
Iran War Faces Growing Questions
Trump's latest remarks come as Americans continue to question his handling of the conflict. A CNN poll conducted by SSRS on September 16 and 17, surveying 1,206 US adults, found that almost two-thirds believed the US was not winning the war, while more Americans said Trump was not doing enough to end it.
Against that backdrop, Trump's description of the Iranian targets as 'drug factories/nuclear factories' adds another unexpected layer to the story of US military action against Tehran. For now, one crucial detail remains unexplained: what exactly did Trump mean when he said, 'They were doing drugs'?
