Trump claims Iran nuclear sites bombed in Operation Midnight Hammer were also 'drug factories'

At an October 1, 2026, campaign rally in Oklahoma, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that the Iranian nuclear facilities bombed during Operation Midnight Hammer in June 2025 were also operating as "drug factories." This new rhetoric comes as the U.S. deploys a third aircraft carrier strike group and up to 10,000 additional troops to the Middle East. Meanwhile, Trump acknowledged that U.S. munitions stockpiles are running low, while domestic economic strain from the war has pushed his approval ratings to record lows ahead of the November 2026 midterm elections.

Operation Midnight Hammer claims

• ▪During a campaign rally in Durant, Oklahoma, on October 1, 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that the Iranian nuclear facilities targeted in Operation Midnight Hammer were also "drug factories" where Iran "was doing drugs".
• ▪U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that the Operation Midnight Hammer bombing mission in June 2025 had crippled Iran's nuclear capability.

Background on Operation Midnight Hammer

• ▪Prior to Operation Midnight Hammer in June 2025, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that Iran was allowing inspectors to remain in the country for continuous supervision of its nuclear sites.
• ▪During Operation Midnight Hammer in June 2025, U.S. military B-2 bombers flying from Missouri conducted a single-night mission targeting Iranian nuclear facilities in Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan.

Status of United States munitions

• ▪U.S. President Donald Trump acknowledged in an interview published October 1, 2026, that supplies of some U.S. munitions are "a little bit lower" due to the ongoing war with Iran.
• ▪A July 2025 Center for Strategic and International Studies assessment estimated that U.S. stocks of Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) interceptors were depleted by more than half.

US military deployments to the Middle East

• ▪The United States is deploying the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group and the Makin Island Marine Expeditionary Unit to the Middle East, adding approximately 9,000 to 10,000 U.S. troops to the region.
• ▪By the end of November 2026, the United States plans to position three aircraft carriers and two amphibious landing groups near Iran, adding to the roughly 50,000 service members already stationed there.

Political fallout of the war

• ▪Republican campaign strategists expressed concern that low public approval of President Donald Trump's economic policies and the unpopular war with Iran could negatively impact the party in the November 2026 midterm elections.
• ▪An Associated Press-NORC poll released October 1, 2026, showed that only 17% of U.S. adults approved of President Donald Trump's handling of the cost of living amid the ongoing war.

Debatable claims

• ▪Trump's claim that Iranian nuclear sites housed drug factories is credible
• ▪The war with Iran is the primary driver of elevated US inflation