The United States carried out a middle–of-the-night attack using decoys and deception that completely “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has declared.
But Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine immediately undercut this, telling reporters that while an initial assessment indicated “severe damage and destruction,” it would take time for the final battle damage to be known.
Outlining the attack on Sunday morning, Hegseth also repeated President Donald Trump’s pledge that any retaliation would be met with “further force” and warned global leaders: “American deterrence is back. When this president speaks, the world should listen.”
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“The United States does not seek war, but let me be clear, we will act swiftly and decisively when our people, our partners, and our troops are threatened.”
The press conference came after Trump addressed the nation at the White House on Saturday night—two days into the “within two weeks” window he claimed he would give himself to make the call.
But the move—which was done without congressional approval—has prompted calls of impeachment among some Democrats and risks of widespread retaliation by Iran on U.S. military assets and troops in the region.
“Trump’s actions may be lauded as a tactical success, but they will make future diplomacy with adversaries costlier, and in the case of Iran, it will only incentivize nuclear development,” Adam Weinstein, deputy director of the Middle East program at the Quincy Institute, told the Daily Beast.
Detailing “Operation Midnight Hammer” on Sunday, Caine told reporters that it began just after midnight Friday and into Saturday morning, and involved the use of about 75 precision-guided weapons to hit Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan—the core of Iranian nuclear infrastructure.
This included the use of 30,000-pound “bunker bombs,” marking America’s first ever operational use of this weapon.
While it would take time for the final battle damage to be known, an initial assessment indicated “severe damage and destruction,” Caine said. Notably, the Joint Chiefs chairman—whose advice Trump is said to have relied on over Hegseth’s—stopped short of using the term “obliterated.”
“The U.S. 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. “Following weapons release, the midnight hammer strike package exited Iranian airspace, and the package began its return home. We are unaware of any shots fired at the package on the way out.”
The highly guarded mission appeared to catch Iran—and the world—by surprise.
Speculation simmered earlier on Saturday , when US officials told Reuters that B-2 bombers were being moved to the Pacific island of Guam, prompting questions about whether the deployment was tied to the escalating situation in the Middle East.
However, Caine admitted that this was just a ruse.
So, too, was the smokescreen timeframe Trump gave to make a decision on the attack, officials have said. There were no obvious signs that an attack was imminent when the President arrived back at the White House around 6 p.m. on Saturday.
After his helicopter, Marine One, landed on the South Lawn, Trump gestured to the newly installed American flag and gave a thumbs up and a fist-pump to the press but did not take questions.
The White House called a “lid” for the day at 6:44 p.m.— the signal used to dismiss pool reporters with the understanding that the president isn’t going anywhere or doing anything in public. All three Iranian nuclear infrastructure targets were struck between 6:40 p.m. and 7:05 p.m. EST, or about 2.10 a.m. local time in Iran, Caine said.
The attack came despite the U.S. intelligence community—including Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard—insisting that Iran is not trying to build a nuclear weapon. After Trump dismissed Gabbard as “wrong,” she reversed course on Friday, saying Iran was capable of producing a nuclear weapon “within weeks to months.” Nevertheless, she was noticeably absent from Situation Room photos the White House released on Saturday night.
Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said the lack of congressional approval was “absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment.”
Democrat Senator Chris Murphy said he was briefed on the intelligence last week.
“Iran posed no imminent threat of attack to the United States,” he said, adding that the attack was therefore “illegal.”
