
Pentagon details Iran strikes
The US aerial strikes on Iran were an 'incredible and overwhelming success' and 'obliterated' the country's 'nuclear ambitions,' according to US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
The Pentagon chief made the remarks on Saturday evening during a large press conference alongside Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine to detail the attack, codenamed 'Operation Midnight Hammer.'
'The order we received from our commander-in-chief was focused, it was powerful, and it was clear,' Hegseth stated. 'We devastated the Iranian nuclear program, but it's worth noting the operation did not target Iranian troops or the Iranian people,' he added, claiming that 'Iran's nuclear ambitions have been obliterated.'
The operation involved more than 125 aircraft, including seven B-2 Spirit strategic stealth bombers, as well as assorted reconnaissance planes, refueling tankers and fighter jets, according to Caine.
At midnight Friday into Saturday morning, a large B-2 strike package comprised of bombers launched from the continental United States. As part of a plan to maintain tactical surprise, part of the package proceeded to the west and into the Pacific as a decoy,' Caine stated.
The planes dropped a dozen 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs on nuclear facilities in Fordow and Natanz, he said. The installation in Isfahan was hit by a cruise missile salvo fired by a submarine.
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Vance opposes US involvement in Iran-Israel war
US Vice President J.D. Vance does not support his country's involvement in the conflict between Israel and Iran, Reuters has reported, citing two informed sources. A Reuters article revealing his stance came out on Saturday, hours before US President Donald Trump ordered strikes on Iran's Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan nuclear sites. According to the sources, Vance made his opinion clear during a 'tense' phone call between Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top officials from Washington and West Jerusalem on Thursday. Netanyahu and his associates used the exchange to try to persuade the US president to give up on the two-week deadline that he had given to Tehran to reach a deal on the country's nuclear program and immediately take part in the Israeli attacks on Iran, the report read. The Israelis argued that there is only a limited window of opportunity to use the American bunker-busting bombs against Iran's deeply-buried Fordow facility, it said. During the call, the Iraq War veteran 'pushed back' against West Jerusalem's demands, insisting that Washington 'should not be directly involved' in the conflict, the sources claimed. His concern was that 'the Israelis were going to drag the country into war,' they added. Vance appeared beside Trump when the president delivered a televised address from the White House, in which he announced the US strike and claimed that the Iranian nuclear sites have been 'completely and totally obliterated.' Tehran claimed that the attacks did not deliver any serious damage. Social media users later shared screenshots of the vice president from the event, describing his facial expression as 'confused' and 'not happy at all.' Later on Sunday, Vance gave an interview to NBC News 'Meet the Press,' saying that 'we do not want war with Iran. We actually want peace, but we want peace in the context of them not having a nuclear weapons program.' If Tehran refrains from targeting US troops in the Middle East in retaliation and gives up on their 'nuclear weapons program once and for all, then I think, the president has been very clear, we can have a good relationship with the Iranians. We can have a peaceful situation in that region of the world,' he argued. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Sunday that the US does not have the ability to escape 'heavy responses' by Tehran for its 'illegal military attack on the peaceful nuclear facilities' in Iran. The IRGC claimed that it has already identified the locations where the planes that took part in the strikes are stationed.


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4 hours ago
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Iranian media assesses damage from US attack
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Russia Today
4 hours ago
- Russia Today
Pentagon details Iran strikes
The US aerial strikes on Iran were an 'incredible and overwhelming success' and 'obliterated' the country's 'nuclear ambitions,' according to US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. The Pentagon chief made the remarks on Saturday evening during a large press conference alongside Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine to detail the attack, codenamed 'Operation Midnight Hammer.' 'The order we received from our commander-in-chief was focused, it was powerful, and it was clear,' Hegseth stated. 'We devastated the Iranian nuclear program, but it's worth noting the operation did not target Iranian troops or the Iranian people,' he added, claiming that 'Iran's nuclear ambitions have been obliterated.' The operation involved more than 125 aircraft, including seven B-2 Spirit strategic stealth bombers, as well as assorted reconnaissance planes, refueling tankers and fighter jets, according to Caine. At midnight Friday into Saturday morning, a large B-2 strike package comprised of bombers launched from the continental United States. As part of a plan to maintain tactical surprise, part of the package proceeded to the west and into the Pacific as a decoy,' Caine stated. The planes dropped a dozen 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs on nuclear facilities in Fordow and Natanz, he said. The installation in Isfahan was hit by a cruise missile salvo fired by a submarine. DETAILS TO FOLLOW