Pentagon says U.S. doesn't want to pursue war with Iran

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Sunday that America 'does not seek war' with Iran in the aftermath of a surprise attack overnight on three of that country's nuclear sites.
The mission, called 'Operation Midnight Hammer,' involved decoys and deception, and met with no Iranian resistance, Hegseth and Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a Pentagon news conference.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

CTV News

39 minutes ago

• CTV News

How the U.S. bombarded Iranian nuclear sites without detection

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — It was an unprecedented attack years in the making, with some last-minute misdirection meant to give the operation a powerful element of surprise. U.S. pilots dropped 30,000-pound bombs early Sunday on two key underground uranium enrichment plants in Iran, delivering what American military leaders believe is a knockout blow to a nuclear program that Israel views as an existential threat and has been pummeling for more than a week. American sailors bolstered the surprise mission by firing dozens of cruise missiles from a submarine toward at least one other site. Dubbed Operation Midnight Hammer, U.S. officials say the plan was characterized by a 'precision strike' that 'devastated the Iranian nuclear program,' even as they acknowledged an assessment was ongoing. For its part, Iran denied that any significant damage had been done, and the Islamic Republic pledged to retaliate. Taking off from the U.S. heartland, B-2 stealth bombers delivered a total of 420,000 pounds of explosives, aided by an armada of refueling tankers and fighter jets — some of which launched their own weapons. U.S. officials said Iran neither detected the inbound fusillade, nor mustered a shot at the stealthy American jets. The operation relied on a series of deceptive tactics and decoys to maintain the secrecy, U.S. officials said hours after the attack, which was preceded by nine days of Israeli attacks that debilitated Iran's military leadership and air defenses. A decoy plan Even before the planes took off, elements of misdirection were already in play. After setting parts of the plan in motion, Trump publicly announced Thursday that he'd make a decision within two weeks on whether to strike Iran — ostensibly to allow additional time for negotiations, but in actuality masking the impending attack. One group of B-2 stealth bombers traveled west from Missouri on Saturday as decoys, drawing the attention of amateur plane spotters, government officials and some media as they headed toward a U.S. air base in the Pacific. At the same time, seven other B-2s carrying two 'bunker buster' bombs apiece flew eastward, keeping communications to a minimum so as not to draw any attention. Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at Sunday's briefing that it was all 'part of a plan to maintain tactical surprise' and that only 'an extremely small number of planners and key leaders' knew about it in Washington and Florida, where U.S. Central Command is based. After 18 hours of furtive flying that required aerial refueling, the armed B-2 Spirit bombers, each with two crew members, arrived on time and without detection in the Eastern Mediterranean, from where they launched their attack runs. Before crossing into Iran, the B-2s were escorted by stealthy U.S. fighter jets and reconnaissance aircraft. A graphic released by the Pentagon showed the flight route as passing over Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. It was unclear whether those countries were notified of the U.S. overflight in advance. Most U.S. lawmakers were also kept in the dark, with some Republicans saying they were provided a brief heads-up by the White House before the strike. 'Our B-2s went in and out and back without the world knowing at all,' Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told reporters Sunday. A multifaceted attack About an hour before the B-2s entered Iran, Caine said that a U.S. submarine in the region launched more than two dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles against key targets, including a site in Isfahan where uranium is prepared for enrichment. As the U.S. bombers approached their targets, they watched out for Iranian fighter jets and surface-to-air missiles, but encountered none. At 6:40 p.m. in Washington and 2:10 a.m. in Tehran, the first B-2 bomber dropped its pair of GBU-57 massive ordnance penetrators on the deeply buried Fordo uranium enrichment plant. It was the first time these so-called 'bunker busters' had ever been used in combat. Each 30,000-pound bomb is designed to burrow into the ground before detonating a massive warhead. The Fordo site received the bulk of the bombardment, though a couple of the enormous bombs were also dropped on a uranium enrichment site at Natanz. The U.S. bombs fell for about half an hour, with cruise missiles fired from submarines being the last American weapons to hit their targets, which included a third nuclear site at Isfahan, Caine said. Both Iran and the U.N. nuclear watchdog said there were no immediate signs of radioactive contamination around the sites. A look at the numbers The mission included: — 75 precision-guided weapons: these included 14 GBU-57 'bunker buster' bombs deployed by the seven B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, and more than two-dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from a U.S. submarine. — 125 aircraft, including the B-2 bombers, fighter jets and refueling planes. A female pilot Hegseth said Sunday that 'our boys in those bombers are on their way home right now.' But a U.S. official said one woman was among those piloting the B-2 bombers. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the mission publicly. A bit of history Caine said the use of the bunker-buster bombs made the mission historic, as did other elements. 'This was the largest B-2 operational strike in U.S. history, and the second longest B-2 mission ever flown, exceeded only by those in the days following 9/11,' he told reporters Sunday. Lolita C. Baldor in Narragansett, Rhode Island and Nicholas Ingram in Knob Noster, Missouri, contributed reporting. Kinnard reported from Chapin, South Carolina. Farnoush Amiri And Meg Kinnard, The Associated Press

Toronto Sun

an hour ago

• Toronto Sun

SHEKARIAN: Canada must confront the tyranny behind the Iran-Israel crisis

HOLON, ISRAEL - JUNE 19: A man looks at the ruins of a building after an Iranian missile strike on June 19, 2025 in Holon, Israel. Iran launched a retaliatory missile strike on Israel starting late on June 13, after a series of Israeli airstrikes earlier in the day targeted Iranian military and nuclear sites, as well as top military officials. Photo by Amir Levy / Getty Images Europe Two embattled strongmen — Benjamin Netanyahu and Ali Khamenei — have brought the world dangerously close to a nuclear confrontation. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account This is not just another flare-up in the Middle East. It's a convergence of egos, extremism, and political self-preservation that has hijacked the futures of two nations and risks igniting a global catastrophe. Both men face internal crises. Khamenei presides over a theocratic regime in terminal decline — haunted by economic collapse, human rights atrocities, and public uprisings like the Women, Life, Freedom movement. Netanyahu, once the symbol of Israeli security, is now best known for gutting Israel's democracy from within. His recent push to neutralize the judiciary, documented in investigations like The Bibi Files, was seen by many Israelis as a ploy to avoid his own corruption trial. The result? Massive protests, fractured institutions, and a prime minister willing to wage war as a political survival tactic. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. While the headlines say 'Israel vs. Iran,' the truth is more sinister: This is not a war between nations or cultures. It's a war between two corrupt regimes, each led by men who have demonstrated they will risk everything to cling to power — even if it means aligning themselves with the most extreme, bloodthirsty elements of their countries. To feed their egos and preserve their grip on power, they have found no better allies than their own radicals. And the world is watching it unfold like a spectator sport. Canada, however, does not have the luxury of silence. Why Canada? Why Now? Canada is not just a distant bystander to this crisis. It is home to vibrant Iranian and Israeli diasporas. It is a country that claims to champion international law, peace, and democratic values. And in 2025, it holds the rotating presidency of the G7. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. This is a moment of extraordinary responsibility. Canada must lead — not because it's easy or popular, but because the alternative is passivity in the face of global collapse. This leadership must happen both at home and on the world stage. At Home: Inform, Protect, Prepare—and Connect First, we must educate our own public. Canadians deserve to know that this war is not the product of religious or cultural differences, but of authoritarianism and political cowardice. Public broadcasters like the CBC should acquire and air investigative content such as The Bibi Files — a documentary premiered at our own TIFF that unpacks Bibi's corruption and systematic dismantling of Israel's democratic institutions. Equally important, we must teach our youth that peace and harmony between Israelis and Iranians is not only possible — but historically rooted and deeply desired by the overwhelming majority of both peoples. From the ancient legacy of Cyrus the Great — revered by Jews as a liberator and protector — to today's multicultural reality in Canada, we have every reason to believe that coexistence is not a dream, but a shared memory waiting to be revived. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Second, we must protect Canadians. Immigration policy must be leveraged first and foremost to serve the needs of Canadians — especially those with loved ones in crisis zones. For Iranian-Canadian families, this means offering expedited visa processing and emergency pathways for relatives trapped in an increasingly volatile environment. But this must be done with vigilance. The Iranian regime has a documented history of targeting dissidents abroad, including here in Canada. Such measures must be accompanied by the highest level of security screening — ensuring that the generosity of our immigration system does not become a backdoor for foreign operatives intent on surveillance, infiltration, or intimidation. Compassion cannot come at the cost of national safety. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Third, we must prepare. The illusion that Canada is safe by geography is long gone. If the war between Netanyahu and Khamenei escalates, the fallout — cyber, economic, or otherwise — won't respect borders. Canada must meet and exceed its NATO commitments, but not by mimicking American militarism. We must invest in smart defense: Cybersecurity, energy grid resilience, and public crisis readiness. And finally, we must connect. Canada's multiculturalism cannot remain a passive virtue — it must become an active strategy. The government should dedicate funding for civil society and diaspora communities to organize joint cultural events—bringing Israelis and Iranians together through food, music, dance, theatre and dialogue. These moments of shared humanity are not luxuries. They are antidotes to extremism — and Canada must lead in making them possible. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Abroad: Stand for Law—Then Make It Better Canada cannot fix the world — but it can refuse to be complicit in its decay. In a time when international law is ignored with impunity, our role is not to retreat into neutrality but to assert a principled and strategic voice. First, we must uphold international law —not because it is perfect, but because it is all we have. The fundamental paradox of international law is that it seeks to bind sovereign states, yet has no authority above them to enforce compliance—participation remains voluntary, and enforcement, political. Still, that is no excuse for moral surrender. Canada must publicly demand that both Israel and Iran submit to international accountability mechanisms— including the rulings of the International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice, binding UN resolutions, and independent investigations. As a nation built on the rule of law, Canada must extend that principle beyond its borders — by decisively referring international conflicts to legal mechanisms and insisting on their resolution through lawful means. If we believe in a rules-based order, then we must help lead the world back to one. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Second, Canada must lead the shift toward a new legal order — one that closes the gap between law and enforceability. The 20th century gave us the framework of international law. The 21st must give us the tools to make it matter. Law without enforcement is not justice — it's a soundbite. Canada, leveraging its G7 presidency and global reputation as a rule-of-law nation, must work to refine and expand initiatives like the RN2V, and put forward a modernized framework for international law — one grounded in the lessons of the last century and built for the crises of this one. That work must begin by proposing a doctrine to define and confront what we might call crisis-triggered impunity — the calculated abuse of war, terrorism, or existential threat to override legal and constitutional accountability. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. This will not be easy. But neither is watching the world burn while issuing statements of 'deep concern.' If we are serious about defending democracy and peace, then the rules must evolve — and Canada must help write them. A Choice Between Silence and Leadership This moment is not about geopolitics. It's about responsibility. It is tempting to retreat to neutrality. To issue vague, AI-generated calls for 'de-escalation.' To stay quiet because the loudest players in the conflict leave us little space to act. But that is the very path that led to BibiAli's war. And if left unchallenged, it is the path that will lead the world into a war no one survives. Canada has a choice. But the time is running out. And history will remember what we did with it. — Siavash Shekarian is an Iranian-Canadian lawyer, engineer, entrepreneur, and public policy advocate. He is the founder of Catalyst Canada, an initiative of the Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association. Sports Sunshine Girls Canada Relationships Relationships

Calgary Herald

an hour ago

• Calgary Herald

How a cornered Iran could wreak havoc on global oil trade

Article content (Bloomberg) — US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities are sharpening the focus on one option Iran has yet to really deploy in the conflict: disrupting regional oil trade, especially through the critical Strait of Hormuz. Article content Iran has over the years threatened multiple times to shut the strait — a narrow stretch of water through which a fifth of the world's oil supply flows each day. But in practice, Tehran has numerous less-drastic options at its disposal to calibrate a response that hurts its enemies while limiting the impact on allies like China, its biggest oil buyer. Article content Article content Article content Article content A full closure of Hormuz for more than a few hours or days is a nightmare scenario that many observers think improbable. It would choke off flows and spike crude prices — JPMorgan & Co. analysts said by almost 70% — fueling global inflation and weighing heavily on growth. Article content Up to Friday, oil shipping from the region, and indeed through Hormuz, had been relatively unscathed by the conflict. Shipments from Iran itself have surged, and oil tanker activity through the Strait of Hormuz remained largely steady. Still, Greece's shipping ministry on Sunday advised the nation's vessel owners to review the use of the strait. Article content If it chooses to target oil in its retaliation against the US strikes, Iran's coastline onto Hormuz gives Tehran an array of options, from lower-impact harassing of ships in the region, to the more extreme alternatives: attacking tankers with drones, mines or bombs to the point that the strait becomes impassable for commercial trade. Article content Article content 'If Iran were to decide to begin to take action in the Straits of Hormuz, there's a wide range of things that can look like,' Daniel Sternoff, non-resident fellow at the Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy, said on the center's podcast before the US attack happened. 'We can kind of draw a huge set of scenarios and unknowns which have all sorts of consequences.' Article content Still, Iran may ultimately avoid actions that impede oil flows — recent history is littered with examples where supply threats came to nothing. Article content In whatever it does, Tehran will have to weigh the possibility of retaliation against its own energy infrastructure and the possibility that it could upset China if flows got disrupted. It will also have to consider the potential for retaliation against its own shipments, another important source of oil for China.