The United States was unable to establish contact with Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the critical hours leading up to its airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites, according to reports from senior U.S. officials.

The attempted backchannel outreach reportedly collapsed shortly before the military operation commenced on Saturday, marking a sharp escalation in U.S.–Iran tensions. Officials said efforts to reach Tehran’s leadership were made in hopes of securing a last-minute nuclear agreement to avert military action.

President Donald Trump later confirmed the operation via Truth Social, boasting of its destructive impact on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and sharing satellite imagery of the targeted sites.

“Monumental damage was done to all nuclear sites in Iran, as shown by satellite images,” Trump wrote. “Obliteration is an accurate term! The biggest damage took place far below ground level. Bullseye!!!”

The images showed significant destruction at sites including the Fordow nuclear facility, a hardened installation built into a mountain specifically to withstand aerial bombardment. U.S. forces deployed GBU-57 “bunker buster” bombs, capable of penetrating deep underground, to strike the site.

Damage Confirmed, But Impact on Uranium Stockpile Unclear

Although satellite photos show extensive surface damage, officials told The New York Times that it remains unclear whether Iran’s stockpiles of enriched uranium—believed to have been moved between sites in recent months—were destroyed in the strikes.

The Fordow facility, due to its reinforced structure and subterranean depth, has long been considered one of Iran’s most secure nuclear installations. Saturday’s attack marked one of the most aggressive U.S. military moves against Iran’s nuclear program to date.

The failed diplomatic communication with Khamenei underscores the breakdown in direct negotiations and the limited remaining options for peaceful resolution between Washington and Tehran.