Operation ‘Midnight Hammer': 5 key takeaways from the Pentagon briefing on US bombing Iran

Indian Express

4 hours ago

Senior Pentagon officials on Sunday gave a media briefing on 'Operation Midnight Hammer', the codename given to the US' precision strikes on three of Iran's nuclear facilities hours earlier, which marked a dramatic escalation in the Middle East and brought Washington and Tehran relations to a historic low since the Iranian Revolution.
US Secretary of Defence Peter Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine on Sunday reiterated the Washington's policy on Tehran's nuclear programme and revealed new details on the covert operation, which was conducted well before the two-week self-imposed deadline set by Trump.
The covert operation involved the use of over 125 aircraft and deception tactics, and the fleet included seven B-2 stealth bombers, the press briefing revealed.
The US strike targeted three of Iran's most sensitive nuclear facilities — Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. Natanz, Tehran's primary enrichment site, reportedly housed 13,500 operational centrifuges, capable of purifying uranium to 5 per cent, and over 160 advanced centrifuges capable of purifying uranium up to 60 per cent — a small step away from 90 per cent (weapons-grade purity). The Isfahan facility housed three Chinese-built research reactors. It also included the Uranium Conversion Facility, which converts 'yellowcake' uranium to uranium hexafluoride (the raw input for centrifuges).
The Fordow enrichment site housed 2,000 operational centrifuges. What sets this site apart from the other facilities damaged in Israeli barrages since June 13 is its depth: built into the side of a mountain and buried approximately 260 to 300 feet underground, it is effectively impervious to conventional air strikes. Amid the Israeli bombardment, the Fordow nuclear facility stood unscathed. This site required the direct involvement of the US, which houses the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOP) in its arsenal – a 30,000-pound 'bunker buster' capable of destroying it.
The Pentagon said these strikes were conducted to 'severely degrade Iran's nuclear programme.'
The covert op featured seven B-2 Spirit bombers – with two crew members in each – flying from Missouri, backed by over 125 aircrafts, including 4th and 5th generation fighter jets (as decoys), surveillance planes, and aerial refuelers. The B-2s dropped 14 Massive Ordnance Penetrators (GBU-57s) on Natanz and Fordow, while a US guided missile submarine launched more than 24 Tomahawk missiles at Isfahan in a coordinated strike.
The mission was conducted during a timeframe of 18 hours and involved multiple in-flight refuellings and deception tactics such as decoys and airspace clearing. All three nuclear facilities were struck between 6:40 pm and 7:05 pm (Eastern Time), with the Tomahawks delivering the final blow at Isfahan.
In what marked the longest B-2 mission since 2001 and the first operational employment of the GBU-57, the White House maintained complete secrecy. Describing the operation as 'highly classified', Caine said that very few people in Washington were aware of the 'timing and nature' of the plan. Iran's air defenses failed to respond, and no US aircraft was fired upon. Caine concluded that the US was able to retain the element of surprise.
Hegseth said the sites were 'obliterated,' and warned Tehran against retaliation. Hegseth described the strikes as 'bold and brilliant,' adding that it showed the world that 'American deterrence is back' and reaffirmed Washington's stance on the enrichment programme — that 'Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.'
He also called the operation a 'spectacular success,' highlighting that no Iranian troops or civilians were targeted.
'As President Trump has stated, 'the US does not seek war', but… we will act swiftly and decisively when our people, our partner, or our interests are threatened,' Hegseth said, to pressure Tehran to come to the negotiation table.
Following the attack, President Trump gave a press briefing from Washington, reiterating his previous calls that 'Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.' He warned Tehran against carrying out retaliatory attacks, saying that 'there will either be peace or tragedy for Iran, far greater than what we have witnessed over the last eight days.'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Washington's move and, in a video message addressed to the US President, said, 'Your bold decision to target Iran's nuclear facilities, with the awesome and righteous might of the United States, will change history.'
Iran's Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, 'the US entering the war is 100% to its own detriment.'
Later in the day, Iran's Parliament approved plans to close the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway between the Gulf of Persia and the Gulf of Oman, responsible for 20 per cent of global trade. The Supreme National Security Council, the highest security body in the state apparatus, is yet to take the final call, Major General Kowsari, a member of the National Security Committee, said.