During a press conference at the Pentagon today, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, lauded the success of the U.S. Central Command's overnight strike on three Iranian nuclear facilities.
Dubbed "Operation Midnight Hammer," Centcom deployed multiple combined assets to inflict significant damage at the sites of Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan.
"The order we received from our commander in chief was focused, it was powerful and it was clear. We devastated the Iranian nuclear program," Hegseth said at the outset of his remarks, also noting that the operation did not target Iranian troops or citizens.
"Initial battle damage assessments indicate that all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction," Caine told the media.
After proceeding quietly and with minimal communication for 18 hours from the U.S. to the target area, the first of seven B-2 Spirit stealth bombers dropped two 30,000 GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator "bunker buster" bombs at the Fordo site yesterday at approximately 6:40 p.m. EDT, Caine said.
The initial mission package also included several decoy aircraft that flew west over the Pacific Ocean as "a deception effort known only to an extremely small number of planners and key leaders here in Washington and [Centcom headquarters]," Caine said.
Such tactics were also used in support of the main strike package of aircraft.
"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 the initial strike on Fordo, the remaining B-2s went on to deploy their ordnance, eventually totaling 14 MOPs hitting the targeted areas.
This was the first operational use of the GBU-57 MOP, Caine noted.
In addition to the MOPs, Caine said a U.S. submarine operating in Centcom's area of responsibility launched more than two dozen Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles at key infrastructure targets at the Isfahan site, bringing the overall total of precision-guided weapons employed during the operation to approximately 75.
Caine stated there was no detectable retaliation to the strikes.
"We are unaware of any shots fired at the package on the way out. Iran's fighters did not fly, and it appears that Iran's surface-to-air missile systems did not see us," he said, adding, "Throughout the mission, we maintained the element of surprise."
Both Hegseth and Caine shared praise for the military personnel who worked to execute the mission.
"I want to recognize the pilots who flew those bombers, who flew those fighters, who flew those refuelers; [they're] warriors. I want to recognize the sailors on those destroyers, in those subs, on those carriers; [they're] warriors, all of them," Hegseth said, also recognizing soldiers who conducted air and base defense.
"Every American involved in this operation performed flawlessly," he added, also giving recognition to the Israeli government for its contribution to the positioning and preparation of the effort.
"This was a complex and high-risk mission, carried out with exceptional skill and discipline by our joint force," Caine said, also noting that the mission demonstrated the "unmatched reach, coordination and capability of the United States military."
"In just a matter of weeks, this went from strategic planning to global execution," he said, adding that he concurs with President Donald J. Trump's assessment that "no other military in the world could have done this."
When asked about the overall intent of the strikes, Hegseth said the mission was specifically focused on preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
"This mission was not, and has not been, about regime change. The president authorized a precision operation to neutralize the threats to our national interests posed by the Iranian nuclear program and [in support of] the collective self-defense of our troops and our ally, Israel," Hegseth said.
As to the potential for Iran attempting retaliation for the U.S. strikes, Caine said Centcom is operating under elevated force protection measures throughout the Middle East region and that any retaliation by Iran or its proxies would be "an incredibly poor choice."
"We will defend ourselves. The safety of our service members and civilians remains our highest priority," he said.