Iran publishes photo of alleged US bomb debris
Iran's semi-official news agency published photos of a drinking water reservoir that officials said was destroyed in a missile attack, as well as images of ammunition fragments that experts told CNN appeared to be from a U.S.-made bomb.
CNN was unable to independently verify whether the ammunition shown in the image released by the Mehr agency was actually found at the scene. Photos of the damaged water tank were first geolocated in southern Iran by an independent researcher who publishes under the name acceladealer on X, and confirmed by CNN.
The photo, released by Mehr alongside images of the destroyed water reservoir in Bamani, Iran, shows components of a GBU-39 series bomb, a precision-guided munition produced in the United States, according to weapons experts Trevor Ball, a former senior member of the U.S. Army's explosive ordnance disposal team, and N.R. Jenzen-Jones, director of Armament Research Services.
The photo, released by the semi-official Iranian news agency Mehr on June 10, 2026, shows the alleged remains of a munition that hit a water reservoir in southern Iran. Weapons experts who spoke to CNN identified it as a precision-guided munition from the GBU-39 series - Mehr
Israel and some Gulf countries also have this bomb in their arsenals. Ball said the damage to the water reservoir is broadly consistent with that caused by a GBU-39.
The United States launched strikes against Iran on Tuesday in response to Iran's downing of an American helicopter; It is unclear whether the water reservoir was hit in these attacks.
U.S. Central Command spokesman Capt. Timothy Hawkins said the command is aware of the reports and is investigating the situation. He did not respond to additional questions about the water facility.
The collapsed roof of the drinking water reservoir is seen after it was heavily damaged in an attack on June 10, 2026 - Mehr
Water facilities are protected by the Geneva Convention. In March, US President Donald Trump mentioned the possibility of the United States attacking Iranian water desalination plants in a post on Truth Social. The threat has generated great concern among American allies in the Gulf.
After the US strikes, the Mehr agency quoted Abdul Hamid Hamzehpour, executive director of the Hormozgan Water and Sewerage Company, as telling the agency: "Two concrete water storage reservoirs with a total capacity of 2,500 cubic meters in Bamani district were hit by missiles and completely disabled."
According to the Iranian agency Tasnim, associated with the Revolutionary Guard Corps, the reservoirs served at least 20 thousand Iranians. Photos published by Mehr show only the smaller of the two tanks, with its roof collapsed and surrounded by debris. Large pipes can be seen connected to the tank, which could store around half a million liters of water, according to measurements taken from satellite images.
If the water tank was destroyed during the larger U.S. strike in response to the helicopter crash, Ball said the location makes an error in the weapon's guidance system unlikely.
"It's possible there was an error in specifically targeting this building, but a munition error is very unlikely," Ball told CNN. "The ammunition accurately hit this building, which is in a very remote area."
Source: CNN