Hegseth: U.S. does not seek war, but acted decisively on Iran

The United States military has confirmed that its recent strikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities inflicted “extremely severe damage and destruction,” according to Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine.

Speaking at a briefing on Sunday, Caine said Operation Midnight Hammer targeted Iran’s nuclear infrastructure at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. The coordinated assault involved seven B-2 stealth bombers that dropped 14 GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators — powerful bunker-buster bombs — on Fordow and Natanz. Isfahan was struck by over two dozen Tomahawk missiles launched from a US submarine.

Caine noted that the mission used decoy tactics, including sending bombers toward the Pacific to divert Iran’s attention, before launching the strikes from other aircraft. The US aircraft, he said, appeared to evade detection by Iranian air defenses.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the attack required extensive planning and positioning over several weeks and months before President Trump ultimately authorized the operation. He emphasized that while the US does not seek open conflict, it will take swift action when its people, partners, or interests are threatened.

Hegseth stressed that the assault was carefully limited in scope to send a clear message to Tehran. “Anything can happen in conflict,” he said, when asked about the risk of a wider war, but reiterated that the strikes were intended as a targeted operation.