Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth holds briefing on U.S. striking Iran
WASHINGTON (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth held a briefing at the Pentagon Sunday morning after the U.S. struck Iran.
Secretary Hegseth, along with Air Force General Dan Caine, who is the chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the operation, called Midnight Hammer, was the largest B-2 operational strike in U.S. history, and called it an overwhelming success that obliterated Iran's nuclear ambitions.
"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 and the U.S. military, we can back it up. The most powerful military the world has ever known," Hegseth expressed.
However, Hegseth said the U.S. does not want to seek war while adding, "We will act swiftly and decisively when our people, our partners or our interests are threatened. Iran should listen to the President of the United States and know that he means it, every word."
General Caine, during the briefing, gave a timeline of the attack, and says all three sites, Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan, suffered extremely severe damage and destruction.
"All three Iranian nuclear infrastructure targets were struck between 6:40pm and 7:05pm eastern time, again, that's about 2:10 in the morning, local time in Iran, with the Tomahawk missiles being the last to strike at Isfahan to ensure we retain the element of surprise throughout the operation. Following weapons released, the Midnight Hammer strike package exited Iranian airspace and the package began its return home. We are unaware of any shots fired at the package on the way out."
Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff
Caine also said their forces "remain on high alert to respond to any Iranian retaliation or proxy attack," which he said would be an "incredibly poor choice."
"We will defend ourselves. The safety of our service members and civilians remains our highest priority," Caine remarked.
