Pentagon hails success of 'Operation Midnight Hammer', says it ‘obliterated' Iran's nuclear ambitions

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Sunday that US military strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities were an incredible and overwhelming success that have obliterated Tehran's nuclear ambitions. read more
This handout satellite picture provided by Maxar Technologies and taken on June 22, 2025, shows Iran's Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP), northeast of the city of Qom, after US strikes on the site. Image- AFP
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Sunday hailed the military operation targeting Iran's nuclear infrastructure as an incredible and overwhelming success, claiming it had effectively dismantled Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
The extensive assault, dubbed 'Operation Midnight Hammer,' involved 14 bunker-busting bombs, over two dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles and the deployment of more than 125 military aircraft. General Dan Caine, the top US military commander confirmed the operation's name and scale.
The attack marks a major escalation in an already volatile region, which has seen more than 20 months of conflict including ongoing wars in Gaza and Lebanon and political upheaval in Syria. Analysts warn the latest strikes could push the West Asia into a broader and potentially more dangerous confrontation.
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'Iran's nuclear ambitions have been obliterated,' Hegseth told reporters in a briefing, adding that said the strikes did not target Iranian troops or people.
'The operation President Trump planned was bold and it was brilliant, showing the world that American deterrence is back. When this president speaks, the world should listen,' Hegseth said.
Trump's intervention – despite his past pledges to avoid another 'forever war' – threatens to dramatically widen the conflict, after Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign on Iran last week, with Tehran vowing to retaliate if Washington joined in.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the United States of sabotaging diplomacy after talks with European powers.
'This week, we held talks with the E3/EU when the US decided to blow up that diplomacy,' he wrote on X.
Aragchi later told reporters in Istanbul the United States and Israel had 'crossed a very big red line', asserting Iran would continue to defend itself 'by all means necessary'.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the US strikes, saying Trump's decision to 'target Iran's nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the United States will change history'.
In response to the US attack, Iran's armed forces said they targeted multiple sites in Israel including Ben Gurion airport, the country's main international gateway near Tel Aviv.
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With inputs from agencies

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