OAN Staff Gabriella Sable
7:30 AM – Sunday, June 22, 2025
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine held a press conference at the Pentagon on Sunday. The briefing followed the United States’ bombing of Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, key nuclear facilities in Iran after recent escalations in the Iran-Israel conflict.
Hegseth said the operation demonstrated that the United States military remains a formidable force.
“The operation President Trump planned was bold, and it was brilliant,” Hegseth asserted. “It showed the world that American deterrence is back. When this president speaks, the world should listen, and the U.S. military, we can back it up.”
Advertisement“The most powerful military the world has ever known,” continued Hegseth. “No other country on planet Earth could have conducted the operation.”
Hegseth then turned the podium over to Caine to provide specifics about the mission. Caine explained that the operation, known as ‘Midnight Hammer,’ launched a large B-2 bomber aircraft strike package from the continental United States. The mission relied heavily on the element of surprise, including a decoy package sent west.
This was a “deception effort known only to an extremely small number of planners and key leaders here in Washington and in Tampa,” Caine said.
He went on to explain that the main strike package, consisting of seven B-2 bomber aircraft, proceeded eastward with limited communication.
“Once overland, the B2s linked up with escort and support aircraft in a complex, tightly timed maneuver requiring exact synchronization across multiple platforms in a narrow piece of airspace, all done with minimal communications,” Caine explained. “This type of integration is exactly what our Joint Force does better than anyone else in the world.”
Caine noted that at 5 p.m. EST on Saturday, a U.S. submarine launched two dozen Tomahawk Land-Attack Cruise Missiles against infrastructure targets in Isfahan.
As Operation Midnight Hammer entered Iranian airspace, the U.S. employed several deception tactics, including decoys and high-speed fourth- and fifth-generation aircraft, which swept ahead of the strike package to neutralize potential threats from enemy fighters and surface-to-air missiles.
At approximately 6:40 p.m. EST, the lead B-2 dropped two GBU-57 “bunker buster” bombs on the Fordow nuclear site. Over the next 25 minutes, 14 total GBU-57 bombs were deployed across two nuclear target areas, successfully striking all three intended sites.
Caine said that it is still too early to tell how much damage the strike caused.
Hegseth and Caine then took questions from the media. Hegseth clarified that the objective of the operation was not to trigger a regime change in Iran.
“This mission was not has not been about regime change,” Hegseth asserted. “The president authorized a precision operation to neutralize the threats to our national interests posed by the Iranian nuclear program and the collective self defense of our troops and our ally Israel.”
Hegseth added that President Donald Trump desired peace but was consistently met with obstruction, ultimately prompting the operation after determining Iran could not be allowed to maintain nuclear capabilities.
When asked about Israel’s involvement in the strike, Hegseth emphasized that it was a U.S.-led mission.
“I would say, certainly, Israel had an incredible military success, especially at the beginning and ongoing, in degrading Iranian capabilities, degrading Iranian launchers,” stated Hegseth.
“It’s been incredible to watch what our ally Israel has been able to do,” continued Hegseth. “And there certainly have been conversations. General Krilla worked closely in the defense of Israel for many years and part of this operation was the defense of Israel. But as it pertains to this strike, this was U.S. operated and U.S. lead.”
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts