Berk Kutay Gökmen
07 April 2026•Update: 07 April 2026
US President Donald Trump’s claim that the entire country of Iran could be “taken out in one night doesn’t align with US and Israeli capabilities,” CNN reported Tuesday, citing a military analyst.
US President Donald Trump claimed on Monday that American forces could "take out" the entire nation of Iran in just a single night.
"The entire country could be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night," Trump told reporters.
The report by CNN, however, said that the US ability to “take out” all of Iran in one night is “doubtful at best.”
Peter Layton, a Griffith Asia Institute fellow and former Royal Australian Air Force officer, estimated that in a 24-hour strike, the US and Israel could target hundreds of Iranian power plants and bridges.
Six B-2 stealth bombers could carry 96 2,000-pound Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) each sortie, precision-guided bombs that use GPS to hit specific targets, allowing 192 bombs in two flights.
Adding 40 F-15s, each carrying six JDAMs, would contribute another 240 bombs, for a total of 332. Even if every bomb hit its mark, Layton cautioned, that might still not be enough to destroy all the targets.
“They would inflict some (stress some) damage on each target, but unlikely to drop medium to large bridges (depends on many factors). Power plants are generally huge targets, so need very careful planning for one hit to make significant damage. They are also “hardened”; lots of reinforced concrete as part of their basic structure,” he said.
