by Sharon Rondeau
(Jun. 22, 2025) — Shortly after 8:00 a.m. EDT, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth opened a press conference praising U.S. military airmen and naval personnel for firing “precision strikes” on three Iranian nuclear sites on Saturday evening.
The operation has been dubbed “Operation Midnight Hammer” and took place at approximately 2:10 a.m. Iranian time/6:40 p.m. EDT.
U.S. planes flew over their targets without detection, Hegseth said. “It was an incredible and overwhelming success.”
The endeavor was planned for weeks and “involved misdirection and the highest of operational security,” he said.
Seven B-2 bombers released 14 “bunker-buster” bombs while Tomahawk missiles were fired from the water amid support from various other elements of the U.S. military.
Hegseth thanked God “for His protection” and asked that it continue over U.S. troops. He praised President Trump, who gave the order for the attacks, for his “leadership,” and emphasized Trump’s mantra of “peace through strength.”
Following his remarks, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. John Dan “Razin” Caine provided greater detail as to how the strikes were conducted, including the deceptive operation in which attention was focused away from the bombers and on three other planes traveling in the opposite direction.
The operation was “the largest B-2 operation in history,” Caine said. “Iran’s fighters did not fly” or attempt to return fire on U.S. aircraft after the strikes, he said.
The operation was known to only a few in Washington and elsewhere, Caine commented, and its secrecy was maintained until it was executed.
Upon taking reporters’ questions, Hegseth said the administration “complied” with the requirements of the War Powers Act in notifying members of Congress about the strikes.
The Fordow nuclear site was the “primary” of the three, Hegseth said, and was substantially degraded as a result of the bombing. The remaining sites targeted were Natanz and Esfahan.
It was a “focused, powerful and clear mission,” Hegseth said. “There needs to be a negotiated settlement,” he asserted, echoing Trump’s desire to make a “deal” with the Iranian regime to abandon its nuclear program. However, he also said that “direct military action had to be taken” to preclude Iran’s ability to launch a nuclear weapon.
“Public and private messages” are currently being sent to the Iranian regime proffering a settlement, Hegseth confirmed to a reporter’s question. “Now is the time to come forward for peace.”
He praised Caine and Gen. Michael E. Kurilla, Commander of Centcom. “The scope and scale of what occurred would take the breath away of almost any American,” he said.
“A clear psychological impact” was sure to unfold on Iran, he said, as a result of the strikes.
After announcing the strikes in an address on Saturday night, Trump warned the regime of a harsh U.S. response should it choose to target American interests in the region.
