Hegseth, Joint Chiefs Chairman Reveal Details Of Iran Strike
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine provided a briefing Sunday morning following a series of strikes against three principal Iranian nuclear weapons facilities just hours before.
Both men revealed details of “Operation Midnight Hammer,” which targeted facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, utilizing B-2 stealth bombers and Tomahawk cruise missiles fired from U.S. submarines.
The operation involved more than 125 U.S. aircraft, including a number of B-2 bombers that were sent over the Pacific as a “decoy,” they said. Meanwhile, other B-2s were tasked with dropping more than a dozen massive “bunker buster” munitions on the Fordow and Natanz facilities, as the Tomahawks were used at Isfahan.
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“The order we received from our commander in chief was focused, it was powerful, and it was clear,” Hegseth said from the Pentagon podium. “We devastated the Iranian nuclear program, but it’s worth noting the operation did not target Iranian troops or the Iranian people. … Thanks to President Trump’s bold and visionary leadership and his commitment to peace through strength, Iran’s nuclear ambitions have been obliterated.”
The operation commenced overnight Friday into Saturday morning, Caine said during a Pentagon news conference. B-2 bombers departed from the U.S., with some flying west as a decoy while the remainder “proceeded quietly to the east with minimal communications throughout the 18-hour flight.”
Caine said a US submarine “launched more than two dozen Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles against key surface infrastructure targets” at Isfahan.
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As the B-2s entered Iranian airspace, the US “employed several deception tactics, including decoys, as the fourth- and fifth-generation aircraft pushed out in front of the strike package at high altitude and high speed, sweeping in front of the package for enemy fighters and surface-to-air missile threats,” Caine said.
He added that upon approach of the Natanz and Fordow facilities, the US employed “high-speed suppression weapons” with fighter aircraft to “ensure safe passage” of the bombers.
In total, Caine stated that 16 GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators were dropped: two from the lead B-2 on Fordow and 14 more from the remaining bombers targeting the two other sites. The chairman added that Iran did not fire on U.S. aircraft as they returned from their mission.
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“At midnight Friday into Saturday morning, a large B-2 strike package comprised of bombers launched from the continental United States,” Caine said. “As part of a plan to maintain tactical surprise, part of the package proceeded to the west and into the Pacific as a decoy — a deception effort known only to an extremely small number of planners and key leaders here in Washington and in Tampa.”
“The main strike package comprised of seven B-2 Spirit bombers, each with two crew members, proceeded quietly to the east with minimal communications,” he added.
The US is actively attempting to communicate with Iranian officials after its strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. President Donald Trump and his top advisors are urging the country to pursue a diplomatic path forward, CNN reported Sunday. “I can only confirm that there are both public and private messages being directly delivered to the Iranians in multiple channels, giving them every opportunity to come to the table,” Hegseth said. “They understand precisely what the American position is, precisely what steps they can take to allow for peace, and we hope they do so.”
CNN reported that Trump decided to proceed with the strikes after diplomatic efforts stalled.
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Since April, the U.S. and Iran had conducted five rounds of nuclear talks led by Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff. A sixth round, scheduled for last Sunday, was canceled following unprecedented Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and military personnel. Despite this, the White House stated that communication with Iran continued throughout the previous week.
