Defense Secretary Pete HegeSeth together with General Dan Cain, chairman of the college of combined bosses of staffs, during a Sunday morning press conference announced that three nuclear objects in Iran suffered “serious damage”. He noted, however, that it is too early to assess whether Iran still has nuclear potential.
“This mission was not intended to change the regime,” HegSeth will also add.
The “Midnight Hammer” operation included a series of attacks on key Iranian nuclear objects. HegeSeth stated that the US forces began her to “neutralize” Iran's ability to develop nuclear weapons, after – in his opinion, the regime of this country “blocked” negotiations for many months.
Although Donald Trump called the operation “spectacular military success”, not all American officials evaluate it in this way. Some are afraid of Iran's retaliation – and call for radical steps to the US president.
The longest such mission since 2001.
The mission began on Friday late in the evening-seven B-2 Spirit bombers took off from the continental part of the United States, over 125 aircraft and a submarine with directed missiles.
Weighing 30 thousand pounds (approx. 13.6 thousand kg) GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetator bombs hit a strongly fortified Fordo nuclear object located under a cluster of mountains. American officials admitted that in an attack, which lasted 25 minutes, the US forces dropped 14 bombs. American bombers from the Whiteman Air base, Missouri took part in the operation. It was the longest mission of B-2 bombers since 2001.
In a speech to the nation delivered on Saturday evening, Donald Trump called attacks “spectacular military success”. He said that the key Iranian objects used to enrich uranium were “completely destroyed”.
Continuation of the material under the video
On Sunday, Caine said that the final assessment of damage in Iran is still underway. He noted that three nuclear objects in this country suffered “extremely serious damage and destruction”, but he did not find that they were completely destroyed.
Hegeth added that the operation was targeted and precise, clearly underestimating the thesis that it could contribute to the extension of the war in the region.
– In the conflict, everything can happen, we are aware of this. But the scope of this operation was deliberately limited. This is the message we send – he said.
“Stan high readiness”
However, not everyone has such an opinion. Some American officials and legislators are afraid that Tehran or his allies can attack American forces located in the Middle East as part of revenge. Over 40,000 are stationed in the region. American and civilian soldiers of the Defense Department employees.
Caine did not specify what steps the administration takes to protect military personnel. He only stated that Central command of the US forces “strengthened the protection of the armed forces”especially in Iraq, Syria and the Persian Gulf.
– Our forces remain in a state of high readiness and are fully prepared to respond to all retaliation of Iran or the attacks of his allies, which would be an extremely bad decision. We will defend ourselves – he said.
HegeSeth and Caine also drew attention to the highly secret nature of the operation. The latter stated that on Saturday morning B-2 bombers headed west towards the Pacific, playing the role of bait, while the planes that carried out the attack went to the Middle East. He added that he is “particularly proud” of the security of surgery and the accompanying secret, indicating that it is “very important” for the president.
HegeSeth also had to face questions about dealing with classified materials. He told journalists that legislators were informed about the raid “after a safe leaving the planes”, which in his opinion is in accordance with the obligations of administration arising from the Act on war rights.
“Base for impeachment”
Though The last assessments of the American intelligence have shown that Iran does not build nuclear weapons, Hegeth defended Trump's “bold actions”.
– The president clearly made it clear that he analyzed all the information, all intelligence data and came to the conclusion that the Iranian nuclear program poses a threat – he said.
Jastrzębie from the Republican Party – like Senators Tom Cotton, Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz – in the period preceding the attacks persuaded Trump to take the opportunity and intervene in Iran. Influential forms of the magician movement, such as Steve Bannon, Tucker Carlson and the Republicanka Marjorie Taylor Greene,, however, sharply criticized the US actions in this country, stating that This is contrary to the approach of “America First” Trump.
Although many skeptics from his surroundings after his Saturday statement supported the attacks, some republican opponents of military intervention questioned its legality.
“It's incompatible with the constitution,” wrote Republican Congressman Thomas Massie on Saturday on X.
Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna (Democrat of California) together with Senator Tim Caine (Democrat of Virginia) prepared resolutions on war rights that would prevent the president from taking armed actions against Iran without the explicit consent of the congress.
Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez went even further and called Trump's move “an absolute and clear basis for impeachment.”
“The president's catastrophic decision to bomb Iran without authorization is a serious violation of the Constitution and war rights of the Congress. He made an impulsive decision, Risking the outbreak of war that can plunge us into generations. This is absolutely and unequivocally the basis for putting the president into an accusation – she wrote on the website X.
I’m Ashley Davis as an editor, I’m committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and accuracy in every piece we publish. My work is driven by curiosity, a passion for truth, and a belief that journalism plays a crucial role in shaping public discourse. I strive to tell stories that not only inform but also inspire action and conversation.
