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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Sunday declared the U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities an overwhelming success, stating that “American deterrence is back” and crediting President Donald Trump for delivering what he called a “final blow” to Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
“Last night, on President Trump’s orders, U.S. Central Command conducted a precision strike in the middle of the night against three nuclear facilities in Iran: Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan, in order to destroy or severely degrade Iran’s nuclear program,” Hegseth said at a Sunday morning press briefing.
The operation, dubbed Operation Midnight Hammer, marked one of the most significant U.S. military actions against Iran in years. Hegseth emphasized that the mission was carefully calibrated, targeting only nuclear infrastructure and not Iranian troops or civilians.
“The order we received from our Commander-in-Chief was focused. It was powerful, and it was clear—we devastated the Iranian nuclear program,” he said. “Thanks to President Trump’s bold and visionary leadership and his commitment to peace through strength, Iran’s nuclear ambitions have been obliterated.”
While acknowledging that previous administrations had aimed to stop Iran’s nuclear development, Hegseth said none had succeeded until now.
“When this President speaks, the world should listen—and the U.S. military can back it up,” he added. “No other country on planet Earth could have conducted the operation the chairman is going to outline this morning—not even close.”
Hegseth reiterated that the president seeks peace but warned that any retaliation from Iran would be met with a stronger response.
“He sent out a truth last night, saying this: any retaliation by Iran against the United States of America will be met with force far greater than what was witnessed tonight—signed, the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump. Iran would be smart to heed those words,” Hegseth said.
He also thanked U.S. military personnel for executing the strike, noting the operation involved “months and weeks of positioning and preparation,” along with “misdirection and the highest of operational security.”
General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, detailed the execution of Operation Midnight Hammer, emphasizing the element of surprise.
“This operation was designed to severely degrade Iran’s nuclear weapons infrastructure,” Caine said. “It was planned and executed across multiple domains and theaters with coordination that reflects our ability to project power globally with speed and precision at the time and place of our nation’s choosing.”
